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The syntax of dependent elements
Abstract
The main purpose of this dissertation is to define the syntactic domains for dependent elements. By dependent elements are meant such elements as empty categories (wh-traces and NP-traces) and reflexives and reciprocals. They lack independent reference and have to depend on some other elements for their full interpretation. They also include such elements as wh-phrases in situ, negative polarity items and narrow scope quantifiers. It seems fair to say that these elements enter into some sort of binding-like relations with their "antecedents" or "licensors." The central claim of this dissertation is that the licensing of these dependent elements observes locality and that this locality is determined by the common three notions and conditions: (i) barrier, (ii) directionality, and (iii) Subjacency. Each of these notions has been argued in the literature to hold of one or some dependent elements in particular. But we make the stronger claim that all the three notions constrain the distribution of any type of dependent elements, including anaphoric elements. In Chapter 2 we observe a number of scope phenomena in English and Japanese, concerning wide scope interpretation. We point out that scope-bearing items have to occupy the peripheral position of the domain of the element licensing them when they take wide scope. Later this Peripherality Condition is reduced to several independent notions mentioned above, together with a certain assumption concerning adjunction structure. Chapter 3 deals with the question of how the domain for a dependent element is to be determined. Two conceptions of domain are conceivable: it may be defined by the presence of a possible licensor or it may be defined regardless of the licensor, as the minimal category that meet some requirements. We argue that the second approach is right, while discussing English negation as a case study. In Chapter 4 we are concerned with the comparison of English and Japanese binding phenomena. Extending the Barriers Approach of Chomsky (1986b), we show that the notions of barrier, directionality, and Subjacency constrain the distribution of anaphors. These results, if correct, would lead to significant unification in linguistic theory.
Subject Area
Linguistics
Recommended Citation
Kurata, Kiyoshi, "The syntax of dependent elements" (1991). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9120904.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9120904