Clause Structure, Expletives and Verb Movement

1996 ◽  
pp. 167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianne Jonas
Keyword(s):  
Clause Structure ◽  
Verb Movement

scholarly journals Sentential Negation and Verb Movement in Bantu Languages

2002 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 201
Author(s):  
Deo Ngonyani
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Clause Structure ◽  
Verb Movement ◽  
Bantu Languages ◽  
Subordinate Clauses ◽  
Sentential Negation

This paper explores a well-known asymmetry between negation marking main clauses and subordinate clauses in Bantu languages (Gilldemann 1999:551, Meeussen 1967:114). It is noted that pre-initial negation marking is usually restricted to main clauses, while post-initial marking is rarely restricted. Various studies have explored the diachronic origins of the various strategies. This paper focuses on how the strategies are constrained by clause structure. It is argued that negation projects a NegP as an element of Infl. Asymmetrical negation marking is due to two NegPs, one selecting TP, and the other selected by TP.

Changing EPP parameters

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lieven Danckaert
Keyword(s):  
Word Order ◽  
Clause Structure ◽  
Verb Movement ◽  
Modal Verbs ◽  
The Core ◽  
History Of ◽  
Parametric Change ◽  
T Domain ◽  
The Way

This chapter starts with a description of the core facts concerning the VPAux/AuxVP alternation in the history of Latin. In the case of modal verbs and infinitives, there is a clear decline of the head-final order VPAux, whereas Late Latin BE-periphrases surprisingly prefer this order. Against the backdrop of these observations, the discussion then turns to the analysis of Classical and Late Latin clause structure. It is proposed that during the transition from Classical to Late Latin, a major parametric change took place related to the way the clausal EPP-requirement is satisfied. In the earlier grammar (‘Grammar A’), the entire VP undergoes A-movement to the high T-domain, resulting in the characteristic VPAux word order. In the later grammar (‘Grammar B’) the EPP-requirement is met by means of verb movement, with the VP staying in situ. In this grammar VPAux-orders are derived through roll-up movement, which is incompatible with the VOAux-pattern.

scholarly journals Clause structure in Old English: evidence from Negative Concord

1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Haeberli ◽  
Liliane Haegeman
Keyword(s):  
Old English ◽  
Landing Site ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Clause Structure ◽  
Negative Concord ◽  
Verb Movement ◽  
West Germanic ◽  
Subordinate Clauses ◽  
The One ◽  
Germanic Languages

This paper deals with the clause structure of Old English. In the main body of the paper we adopt the ‘traditional’ analysis of the West Germanic languages in which it is proposed that VP is head-final. We will argue (contra Van Kemenade 1987, pace Cardinaletti & Roberts 1991, Pintzuk 1991, Tomaselli 1991) that the clause structure of Old English contains a head-initial functional projection whose head can be the landing site of verb movement in subordinate clauses. This claim is based on evidence related to the distribution and interpretation of negative elements in Old English and West Flemish. We will show that differences between these two languages with respect to Negative Concord phenomena can be accounted for straightforwardly in terms of an Old English clause structure which is different from the one traditionally proposed for the modern Germanic SOV/V2 languages.In the appendix to the paper we briefly turn to the recent alternative approaches to the phrase structure of SOV languages in terms of a universal base hypothesis where all projections are head-initial (see Kayne (1993), Zwart (1993), Roberts (1995) for a discussion of Old English).

scholarly journals A typology of clause structure

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
Hans Broekhuis
Keyword(s):  
Word Order ◽  
Phrase Structure ◽  
Generative Grammar ◽  
Structure Theory ◽  
Clause Structure ◽  
Verb Movement ◽  
Adverb Placement ◽  
Point Of Departure

Current generative grammar predicts a larger set of transitive structures than the six types normally mentioned in the typological handbooks (SVO, SOV, VSO, etc). The main cause of this discrepancy is that, whereas generative grammar investigates the hierarchical positions of the verb and its arguments, most typological research is concerned with their relative surface order. In order to bring together these two lines of research, we have to translate the predictions of generative grammar into a more sophisticated typology in linear terms that can be taken as the point of departure for future typological research. This programmatic article is written in the hope that the generative grammar may help typologists to find certain so far unknown typological differences between languages, and that typologists, in turn, may help generative grammar by providing the relevant typological data that are needed to evaluate the competing theoretical proposals and to improve the most successful ones. Keywords: word order typology, phrase structure theory, verb movement, adverb placement.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document