Predicate Fronting and Constituent Order in Malagasy

This paper discusses how predicate-initial (VOS) order in Malagasy is derived, and the implications of this derivation for general theories of word order. Malagasy clauses are comprised of a predicate phrase followed by a constituent here called the TRIGGER, which occupies the specifier of an A’-position (provisionally labelled TopP). I argue against an analysis where TopP projects its specifier to the right, and in favor of an analysis where the predicate phrase undergoes leftward movement over the trigger to adjoin to TopP. In this respect, Malagasy is compatible with theories of phrase structure such as Kayne (1994), which reject the existence of directionality parameters. Evidence for predicate fronting comes from particle placement and word order in non-root clauses. Regarding the motivation for fronting, I suggest that this operation is the phrasal movement analogue of T-to-C raising in verb-second languages. In both cases the Top head attracts a tense feature, but in verb-second languages the tense feature pied-pipes a head, which adjoins to Top, while in Malagasy the tense feature pied-pipes an entire XP, which adjoins to TopP. I show that successsive phrasal adjunction (paralleling V-raising in other languages) is a general property of Malagasy derivations, which produces inverted orders within the predicate phrase as well as trigger-final order.