Resumption ameliorates different islands differentially
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Matthew A. Tucker
Abstract
Two acceptability experiments are presented which assess whether resumptive pronouns freely alternate with gaps and/or ameliorate island violation effects in wh-questions in Modern Standard Arabic. Both experiments test Complex Noun Phrase Constraint violations, adjunct island violations, and whether island violations. The results indicate that resumption is largely only acceptable with structurally complex DP fillers (which-NP) and is generally preferred to gapped structures in long-distance dependencies. Resumption is also shown to ameliorate the grammatical component of some island violations (adjunct and whether islands), but in different quantitative amounts across different islands. The overall picture which emerges is one in which resumption is quantitatively, but perhaps not qualitatively, helpful in repairing grammatical constraint violations in Modern Standard Arabic.
Abstract
Two acceptability experiments are presented which assess whether resumptive pronouns freely alternate with gaps and/or ameliorate island violation effects in wh-questions in Modern Standard Arabic. Both experiments test Complex Noun Phrase Constraint violations, adjunct island violations, and whether island violations. The results indicate that resumption is largely only acceptable with structurally complex DP fillers (which-NP) and is generally preferred to gapped structures in long-distance dependencies. Resumption is also shown to ameliorate the grammatical component of some island violations (adjunct and whether islands), but in different quantitative amounts across different islands. The overall picture which emerges is one in which resumption is quantitatively, but perhaps not qualitatively, helpful in repairing grammatical constraint violations in Modern Standard Arabic.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. Phonetics and phonology
- How to delete 7
- Are there transfer effects in the Arabic comparative? 33
- Gemination in Rural Jordanian Arabic 53
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Part II. Syntax
- On complex adjectival phrases in Standard Arabic 79
- The syntax of negative coordination in Jordanian Arabic 93
- Huwwa 113
- Syntactic parallels between verbal and nominal φ-morphology in Classical Arabic 133
-
Part III. Experimental and computational linguistics
- Resumption ameliorates different islands differentially 159
- A probabilistic approach to stress assignment in Arabic 195
- Subject index 219
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. Phonetics and phonology
- How to delete 7
- Are there transfer effects in the Arabic comparative? 33
- Gemination in Rural Jordanian Arabic 53
-
Part II. Syntax
- On complex adjectival phrases in Standard Arabic 79
- The syntax of negative coordination in Jordanian Arabic 93
- Huwwa 113
- Syntactic parallels between verbal and nominal φ-morphology in Classical Arabic 133
-
Part III. Experimental and computational linguistics
- Resumption ameliorates different islands differentially 159
- A probabilistic approach to stress assignment in Arabic 195
- Subject index 219
