Verbal and nominal plurals and the syntaxmorphology interface
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Elabbas Benmamoun
Abstract
One of the assumptions of the Minimalist Program (Chomsky, 1995, and subsequent work within the program) is the idea that (narrow) syntactic derivations are driven by the interaction between formal features. However, one key aspect of formal features that drives their syntactic activity is the lack of interpretability. Thus, non-interpretable agreement features on temporal and verbal heads must be paired with interpretable matching features on nominal elements such as subjects and objects. There is compelling morpho-phonological evidence from Arabic that this dichotomy is plausible and has far reaching consequences for the syntax-morphology interface. The critical argument comes from cases of nominal and verbal plurals where the plural feature is spelled-out differently depending on whether it is interpretable or non-interpretable on its immediate host.
Abstract
One of the assumptions of the Minimalist Program (Chomsky, 1995, and subsequent work within the program) is the idea that (narrow) syntactic derivations are driven by the interaction between formal features. However, one key aspect of formal features that drives their syntactic activity is the lack of interpretability. Thus, non-interpretable agreement features on temporal and verbal heads must be paired with interpretable matching features on nominal elements such as subjects and objects. There is compelling morpho-phonological evidence from Arabic that this dichotomy is plausible and has far reaching consequences for the syntax-morphology interface. The critical argument comes from cases of nominal and verbal plurals where the plural feature is spelled-out differently depending on whether it is interpretable or non-interpretable on its immediate host.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction xi
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Part I: Syntax and its interfaces
- Locative prepositional phrases and inalienable PLACE in Lebanese Arabic* 3
- On the syntax of exceptive constructions in Egyptian Arabic* 35
- Verbal and nominal plurals and the syntaxmorphology interface 59
- Exploring the syntax-phonology interface in Arabic 75
- A salience-based analysis of the Tunisian Arabic demonstrative hāk as used in oral narratives* 99
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Part II: Arabic Linguistic Variation
- Moroccan artists ‘blacklisted’ 123
- Lateral fricative ḍād in Tihāmat Qaḥtān 151
- Arabic ȷ̌ and the class of Sun Letters 171
- Quantifying lexical and pronunciation variation between three Arabic varieties* 187
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Part III: First Language Acquisition
- Compensatory lengthening 215
- Index 237
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction xi
-
Part I: Syntax and its interfaces
- Locative prepositional phrases and inalienable PLACE in Lebanese Arabic* 3
- On the syntax of exceptive constructions in Egyptian Arabic* 35
- Verbal and nominal plurals and the syntaxmorphology interface 59
- Exploring the syntax-phonology interface in Arabic 75
- A salience-based analysis of the Tunisian Arabic demonstrative hāk as used in oral narratives* 99
-
Part II: Arabic Linguistic Variation
- Moroccan artists ‘blacklisted’ 123
- Lateral fricative ḍād in Tihāmat Qaḥtān 151
- Arabic ȷ̌ and the class of Sun Letters 171
- Quantifying lexical and pronunciation variation between three Arabic varieties* 187
-
Part III: First Language Acquisition
- Compensatory lengthening 215
- Index 237
