John Benjamins Publishing Company
Pronouns in a Minimalist Setting
Abstract
This chapter examines the theoretical status of pronouns and principle B of the Binding Theory within the Minimalist Program, once it is assumed that reflexives should be formed by movement/copying. If reflexive structures are to be ultimately analyzed in terms of movement/copying, Principle A should be dispensed with. The question then is how to reanalyze Principle B, given that it imposes the opposite requirements of Principle A. The paper argues in favour of returning to the earliest approaches to pronominalization phenomena by Lees and Klima (1963), recast in a more contemporary setting in terms of derivational economy. More specifically, it is proposed that the complementarity between reflexives and bound pronouns follows if derivations that resort to movement (understood in terms of copying) are more economical than derivations that resort to pronoun use. Under this view, pronouns are last resort items used when more favourable (“economical”) grammatical options cannot be.
Abstract
This chapter examines the theoretical status of pronouns and principle B of the Binding Theory within the Minimalist Program, once it is assumed that reflexives should be formed by movement/copying. If reflexive structures are to be ultimately analyzed in terms of movement/copying, Principle A should be dispensed with. The question then is how to reanalyze Principle B, given that it imposes the opposite requirements of Principle A. The paper argues in favour of returning to the earliest approaches to pronominalization phenomena by Lees and Klima (1963), recast in a more contemporary setting in terms of derivational economy. More specifically, it is proposed that the complementarity between reflexives and bound pronouns follows if derivations that resort to movement (understood in terms of copying) are more economical than derivations that resort to pronoun use. Under this view, pronouns are last resort items used when more favourable (“economical”) grammatical options cannot be.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- From trace theory to copy theory 1
-
Part I. The copy theory of movement on the PF-side
- The copy theory of movement 13
-
Part II. On multiple realization of copies
- Double realization of verbal copies in European Portuguese emphatic affirmation 77
- On fusion and multiple copy spell-out 119
- Verb copying in Mandarin Chinese 151
- Dutch 's-prolepsis as a copying phenomenon 175
-
Part III. On lower copy realization
- Free word order and copy theory of movement 219
- Variable pronunciation sites and types of wh -in-situ 249
-
Part IV. Further issues
- Cyclic chain reduction 291
- Agreement with (the internal structure of) copies of movement 327
- Pronouns in a Minimalist Setting 351
- Index 387
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- From trace theory to copy theory 1
-
Part I. The copy theory of movement on the PF-side
- The copy theory of movement 13
-
Part II. On multiple realization of copies
- Double realization of verbal copies in European Portuguese emphatic affirmation 77
- On fusion and multiple copy spell-out 119
- Verb copying in Mandarin Chinese 151
- Dutch 's-prolepsis as a copying phenomenon 175
-
Part III. On lower copy realization
- Free word order and copy theory of movement 219
- Variable pronunciation sites and types of wh -in-situ 249
-
Part IV. Further issues
- Cyclic chain reduction 291
- Agreement with (the internal structure of) copies of movement 327
- Pronouns in a Minimalist Setting 351
- Index 387
