On wh -extraction in de + que constructions in Spanish
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Gabriel Martínez Vera
Abstract
This chapter discusses wh-extraction in Spanish clauses involving a V+de+CP sequence. The previous literature observes that objects, not adjuncts, may be extracted from a de+CP clause. I make three novel observations: (i) subjects pattern with adjuncts in that they cannot be extracted from de+CP, (ii) there is a ‘distance’ effect in that subject extraction improves with one more level of embedding, and (iii) there is also a ‘distance’ effect regarding adjunct extraction with one more level of embedding. (i)–(iii) are surprising, since subjects otherwise do not pattern with adjuncts regarding extraction in Spanish, and adjunct extraction out of islands is otherwise unacceptable. I provide a phasal account where Phase Collapsing and successive cyclic movement are crucial.
Abstract
This chapter discusses wh-extraction in Spanish clauses involving a V+de+CP sequence. The previous literature observes that objects, not adjuncts, may be extracted from a de+CP clause. I make three novel observations: (i) subjects pattern with adjuncts in that they cannot be extracted from de+CP, (ii) there is a ‘distance’ effect in that subject extraction improves with one more level of embedding, and (iii) there is also a ‘distance’ effect regarding adjunct extraction with one more level of embedding. (i)–(iii) are surprising, since subjects otherwise do not pattern with adjuncts regarding extraction in Spanish, and adjunct extraction out of islands is otherwise unacceptable. I provide a phasal account where Phase Collapsing and successive cyclic movement are crucial.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- The acquisition of verbal passives by Portuguese-speaking children 9
- Plus in the French negative system 29
- An experimental approach to parallelism in ellipsis 49
- On focal and wh -projections, indirect wh -questions, and quantificational chains 73
- Is there a dative alternation in Romanian? 91
- The interpretation of null subjects in Romanian 111
- Verum focus and Romanian polar questions 135
- The downward grammaticalisation of irrealis subordinators in Romanian, Salentino and southern Calabrese 157
- Differential object marking 171
- The effects of language ecology on syntactic structure 193
- The syntactic distribution of raddoppiamento fonosinttatico in Cosentino 205
- The causative-inchoative alternation (as we know it) might fall short 239
- On wh -extraction in de + que constructions in Spanish 263
- On another apparent violation of the subject-island constraint in French 277
- Moving towards an event 297
- Cyclicity without containment in Romanian perfects 311
- Dative clitics in Romanian ditransitives 335
- Syntactic vs pragmatic passive 357
- Index 373
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- The acquisition of verbal passives by Portuguese-speaking children 9
- Plus in the French negative system 29
- An experimental approach to parallelism in ellipsis 49
- On focal and wh -projections, indirect wh -questions, and quantificational chains 73
- Is there a dative alternation in Romanian? 91
- The interpretation of null subjects in Romanian 111
- Verum focus and Romanian polar questions 135
- The downward grammaticalisation of irrealis subordinators in Romanian, Salentino and southern Calabrese 157
- Differential object marking 171
- The effects of language ecology on syntactic structure 193
- The syntactic distribution of raddoppiamento fonosinttatico in Cosentino 205
- The causative-inchoative alternation (as we know it) might fall short 239
- On wh -extraction in de + que constructions in Spanish 263
- On another apparent violation of the subject-island constraint in French 277
- Moving towards an event 297
- Cyclicity without containment in Romanian perfects 311
- Dative clitics in Romanian ditransitives 335
- Syntactic vs pragmatic passive 357
- Index 373
