Possessor raising through thematic positions
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Cilene Rodrigues
Abstract
This chapter focuses on control into nominal domains. I analyze the consequences of loss of nominal agreement morphology for the case-licensing of null possessive pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese, arguing that its null inalienable possessors result from possessor raising to thematic positions (and onward to case positions). The evidence for this analysis is following: (a) unlike null possessors in fully pro-drop languages, these null possessors pattern like anaphors, requiring a local syntactic antecedent; (b) they pass all the diagnostics used to characterize obligatory control as movement; (c) they cannot occur within movement islands, such as specific DPs and relative clauses, and (d) within coordinated DPs, they must occur in a across-the-board fashion. These generalizations receive a natural account if anaphoric null possessors are the result of movement to a thematic position, as suggested by the movement theory of control.
Abstract
This chapter focuses on control into nominal domains. I analyze the consequences of loss of nominal agreement morphology for the case-licensing of null possessive pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese, arguing that its null inalienable possessors result from possessor raising to thematic positions (and onward to case positions). The evidence for this analysis is following: (a) unlike null possessors in fully pro-drop languages, these null possessors pattern like anaphors, requiring a local syntactic antecedent; (b) they pass all the diagnostics used to characterize obligatory control as movement; (c) they cannot occur within movement islands, such as specific DPs and relative clauses, and (d) within coordinated DPs, they must occur in a across-the-board fashion. These generalizations receive a natural account if anaphoric null possessors are the result of movement to a thematic position, as suggested by the movement theory of control.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Abbreviations vii
- Control as movement 1
-
Part I. Expanding the movement analysis of control
- Movement Theory of Control and CP-infinitives in Polish 45
- Obligatory control and local reflexives 67
- No objections to Backward Control 89
- Possessor raising through thematic positions 119
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Part II. Unexplored control phenomena
- Clitic climbing in archaic Chinese 149
- Framing the syntax of control in Japanese (and English) 183
- Split control and the Principle of Minimal Distance 211
- Towards a typology of control in DP 245
-
Part III. Beyond control
- The argument structure of evaluative adjectives 269
- Object control in Korean 299
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Abbreviations vii
- Control as movement 1
-
Part I. Expanding the movement analysis of control
- Movement Theory of Control and CP-infinitives in Polish 45
- Obligatory control and local reflexives 67
- No objections to Backward Control 89
- Possessor raising through thematic positions 119
-
Part II. Unexplored control phenomena
- Clitic climbing in archaic Chinese 149
- Framing the syntax of control in Japanese (and English) 183
- Split control and the Principle of Minimal Distance 211
- Towards a typology of control in DP 245
-
Part III. Beyond control
- The argument structure of evaluative adjectives 269
- Object control in Korean 299
