Strengthening the PRO hypothesis / Lisa A. Reed.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Reed, Lisa A.

Series:

Studies in generative grammar ; 110.

Studies in generative grammar, 0167-4331 ; volume 110

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Control (Linguistics).

Grammar, Comparative and general--Infinitival constructions.

Grammar, Comparative and general.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (396 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Boston : De Gruyter Mouton, [2014]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The syntax of Control structures remains a topic of heated debate: Standard generative treatments continue to analyze them in terms of PRO, a hypothesis challenged in alternative syntactic frameworks, semantic circles, and even within the generative tradition itself. This book: (a) examines empirical paradigms currently assumed to favor a PRO approach over competing theories, demonstrating that alternative approaches offer equally plausible treatments of these facts; (b) develops five novel arguments amenable to analysis only within a PRO approach; (c) puts forth a radically revised PRO approach to Control according to which PRO continues to be analyzed as a non-expletive nominal, but one lacking phi- and Case features in the computational component. Contra standard theory, PRO is argued to never undergo movement to a position even as high as the first NegP that dominates its initial merge position. Furthermore, Control complements are shown to take the form of such diverse categories as CP, IP, vP and VP; and (d) considers how a syntactically phi-featureless noun comes to be understood to bear phi-features, as well as how tense limits PRO's distribution in a here-to-fore unnoticed fashion.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Acknowledgments

Contents

Chapter 1. Overview

Chapter 2. On the historical development of PRO approaches to Control

Chapter 3. Movement and implicit argument approaches to Control

Chapter 4. A critical look at some standard arguments in favor of PRO

Chapter 5. Remotivating a PRO approach to Control

Chapter 6. The syntax of Control

Chapter 7. On the reference of PRO

Chapter 8. On an unexpected gap in the distribution of PRO

Chapter 9. Conclusions

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (ebrary, viewed January 7, 2014).

ISBN:

9781614510413

1614510415

OCLC:

948655555