Features, categories and the syntax of A-positions : cross-linguistic variation in the Germanic languages / by Eric Haeberli.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Haeberli, Eric.

Series:

Studies in natural language and linguistic theory ; v. 54.

Studies in natural language and linguistic theory ; v. 54

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Germanic languages--Syntax.

Germanic languages.

Icelandic language--Syntax.

Icelandic language.

Grammar, Comparative and general--Syntax.

Grammar, Comparative and general.

Physical Description:

x, 378 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Dordrecht ; Boston : Kluwer Academic Publishers, [2002]

Contents:

1. Some Basic Theoretical Notions 1

1.1. Principles and Parameters 1

1.2. The Model of the Grammar 2

1.3. Clause Structure 4

1.4. Movement 7

1.4.1. Chomsky (1993, 1995) 7

1.4.2. Chomsky (2000, 2001) 8

1.4.3. Different Types of Movement 10

1.5. Economy 11

2. The Distribution of Nominal Arguments and the Syntax of A-Positions 12

2.1. Principles Determining the Syntax of A-Positions 12

2.1.1. Theta Theory and Argument Structure 12

2.1.2. Case Theory 15

2.1.3. The Extended Projection Principle 16

2.2. Parameters Determining the Syntax of A-Positions 17

2.2.1. The Pro-Drop Parameter 17

2.2.2. Presence vs. Absence of Object Movement 18

2.2.3. Transitive Expletive Constructions 19

3. Morphology and the Setting of Parameters 20

4. The Germanic Languages 23

Chapter 2. Features, Categories and Checking. Towards Deriving the EPP and Abstract Case 27

2. Object Movement and Categories - Towards Deriving Abstract Case 30

3. Towards Deriving the EPP 37

4. Some General Consequences 38

4.1. Syntactic Categories 39

4.2. Phrase Structure 42

4.3. Checking Theory 43

4.4. The Model of Grammar: The Single Output Model 46

4.5. Interpretability of Categorial Features 50

5. More on the EPP and Abstract Case 52

5.1.1. The EPP and CPs 52

5.1.2. The EPP and PPs 59

5.2. Abstract Case as Categorial Feature Checking 66

5.2.1. Subject of a Finite Clause 67

5.2.2. Object of V 68

5.2.3. P and Case 69

5.2.4. A and N Do Not Assign Structural Case 71

5.2.5. No Overt Subjects in Infinitival Clauses 74

5.2.6. Exceptional Case Marking 76

5.2.7. Some Speculations on PRO 78

5.2.8. Acc-ing Gerunds 80

5.2.9. NP-Movement 81

5.2.10. Object Movement 86

6. Pesetsky and Torrego (2001): An Extension to CP? 92

7. An Alternative to Categorial Feature Checking: Covalent Bonding 96

Chapter 3. Syntactic Effects of Morphological Case 101

2. Word Order Freedom and Morphological Case 104

2.1. German vs. Dutch 104

2.2. The Properties of Scrambling (i): Non-Adjacency of Verb and Object 106

2.2.1. Clause Boundedness 107

2.2.2. Weak Crossover 108

2.2.3. Binding 109

2.2.4. Parasitic Gaps 109

2.2.5. Categorial Restrictions 112

2.3. The Properties of Scrambling (ii): Word Order Freedom in German 114

2.3.1. Clause Boundedness 115

2.3.2. Weak Crossover 115

2.3.3. Binding 116

2.3.4. Parasitic Gaps 118

2.3.5. Categorial Restrictions 118

2.3.6. Reconstruction 119

2.4. The Properties of Scrambling (iii): The Contrast Dutch vs. German 121

2.4.1. Scrambling as A'-Movement 122

2.4.2. Scrambled Elements in A-Positions 126

2.5. The Properties of Scrambling: Summary 133

2.6. Analyzing Scrambling (i) 133

2.7. Analyzing Scrambling (ii) 144

2.8. Some Consequences 155

2.8.1. The Morphophonological Realization of Case 155

2.8.2. Scrambling of PPs and CPs: Contrasts between German and Dutch 159

2.8.3. Long Distance Scrambling 161

2.8.4. VP-Topicalization 168

2.8.5. Nominative-Dative Inversion, Part I 173

2.9. Beyond Germanic - Some Notes on Korean 175

2.10. The Case Parameter and Case Morphology 181

3. Nominal Complements of Adjectives and Case Morphology 187

4. Some Speculations on OV/VO Order 191

Chapter 4. Subjecthood and Agreement 197

2. Subjects and Agreement in German 199

3. On the Word Order XP-Subject in the Germanic Languages 205

3.1. XP-Subject in German 205

3.2. XP-Subject: Variation in the Germanic Languages 207

3.2.1. Two Assumptions 209

3.2.2. XP-SU in the West Germanic Languages 214

3.2.3. XP-SU in the Scandinavian Languages 235

Chapter 5. On Expletives 251

1. Expletives and No Arguments 251

2. Expletive-Associate Constructions 254

2.1. Expletive-Associate Constructions and Categorical Feature Checking 254

2.1.1. One Expletive, One Argument 254

2.1.2. One Expletive, Two or More Arguments

TECs 258

2.1.3. Some Consequences 261

2.2. Expletive-Associate Constructions and Non-Categorial Feature Checking 267

2.3. Expletives and Definite Subjects 269

2.3.1. The Absence of the DE in German 270

2.3.2. Some Cross-Linguistic Issues 274

3. A Note on Expletive Constructions and Their Relation to Other Grammatical Properties 280

Chapter 6. Oblique Case and Subjecthood. Or: Why Icelandic Is Different 287

2. Oblique Case and Subjecthood: Icelandic vs. German 289

2.1. Oblique Subjects 289

2.1.1. A Contrast between Icelandic and German 289

2.1.2. Different Types of Cases 292

2.1.3. The Structural Position of Oblique Subjects: Preliminary Remarks 292

2.1.4. Motivating Two Agreement Positions 294

2.1.5. The Distribution of Person and Number Agreement within the Clause Structure 295

2.1.6. Analyzing Oblique Subjects 296

2.1.7. The Absence of Oblique Subjects in German 305

2.2. A Note on Nominative Objects 309

3. 'XP-Subject' in Icelandic 315

4. Expletives and Definite Subjects 320

5. On the Absence of Free Argument Order in Icelandic 322

5.1. Morphological Case but Rigid Argument Order 322

5.2. Some Freedom of Word Order: IO-DO Inversion 326

6. Some Cross-Linguistic Issues 334

6.1. Yiddish 334

6.1.1. The Distribution of Arguments 334

6.1.2. V1 in Embedded Clauses 341

6.2. Faroese 345.

Notes:

A revision of chapters 1-6 of the author's thesis (doctoral)--University of Geneva, 1999.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 355-365) and indexes.

ISBN:

1402008546

1402008554

OCLC:

50339441