Tense, finiteness and the survive principle
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Kristin Melum Eide
Abstract
This paper describes how temporal chains are construed in a syntactic structure. The links in T-chains are local T-heads, where every main verb and auxiliary brings its own tense package. The semantic difference between finite and non-finite T-elements consists in the choice of first argument, the speech event S (finite tense) or any preceding verbal event e (non-finite tense). Overt inflectional markings encoding finiteness are a crucial difference between Modern English and Mainland Scandinavian languages (MSc). Middle English, like MSc, encoded finiteness. MSc retained the finiteness distinction but lost the agreement markings; English main verbs lost the finiteness distinction but retained their tense and agreement markings. This development fuelled many syntactic differences between MSc and English, e.g., do-support versus verb-second.
Abstract
This paper describes how temporal chains are construed in a syntactic structure. The links in T-chains are local T-heads, where every main verb and auxiliary brings its own tense package. The semantic difference between finite and non-finite T-elements consists in the choice of first argument, the speech event S (finite tense) or any preceding verbal event e (non-finite tense). Overt inflectional markings encoding finiteness are a crucial difference between Modern English and Mainland Scandinavian languages (MSc). Middle English, like MSc, encoded finiteness. MSc retained the finiteness distinction but lost the agreement markings; English main verbs lost the finiteness distinction but retained their tense and agreement markings. This development fuelled many syntactic differences between MSc and English, e.g., do-support versus verb-second.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Preface ix
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Part I. Introduction
- Traveling without moving 3
- The numeration in Survive-minimalism 21
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Part II. Studies of movement phenomena and structure building in Survive-minimalism
- Long-distance agreement without Probe-Goal relations 41
- Musings on the left periphery in West Germanic 57
- Tense, finiteness and the survive principle 91
- When grammars collide 133
- Using the Survive principle for deriving coordinate (a)symmetries 169
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Part III. Covert and non-movement operations in Survive-minimalism
- Syntactic identity in Survive-minimalism 195
- Evidence for Survive from covert movement 231
- Language change and survive 257
- Towards a derivational syntax index 267
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Preface ix
-
Part I. Introduction
- Traveling without moving 3
- The numeration in Survive-minimalism 21
-
Part II. Studies of movement phenomena and structure building in Survive-minimalism
- Long-distance agreement without Probe-Goal relations 41
- Musings on the left periphery in West Germanic 57
- Tense, finiteness and the survive principle 91
- When grammars collide 133
- Using the Survive principle for deriving coordinate (a)symmetries 169
-
Part III. Covert and non-movement operations in Survive-minimalism
- Syntactic identity in Survive-minimalism 195
- Evidence for Survive from covert movement 231
- Language change and survive 257
- Towards a derivational syntax index 267
