CAS LX 522Syntax IWeek 12b.V2, and wh-movement(8.4, 9.1-9.3)CP•The thread here (chapter 8) is motivating and making use of the CP level of our structure:•C is the home of the [clause-type:…] feature, differentiating interrogatives and declaratives.•C is sometimes available to check case on the subject when it can’t be checked the higher verb (ECM) or finite T:•I want [ ØNULL PRO to see more syntax ]•I intended [ for her to be win the lottery ].•We’ll see more for CP as we explore question formation—but first, we’ll see it at work in German…V2 languages•There are a number of languages that are classified as “verb second” or “V2” languages. They are so called because in general the (tensed) verb must be second, after the first major constituent in the sentence.•De man heeft een boek gezien gisteren.! ! (Dutch)the man has a book seen yesterday‘the man has seen a book yesterday.’•een boek heeft de man gezien gisteren.•gisteren heeft de man een boek gezien.•Die Kinder haben diesen Film gesehen.!! ! (German)the children have this film seen‘The children have seen this film.’•Diesen Film haben die Kinder gesehen.Analyzing V2•How can we account for this?•Assume that in German, most things are very similar to English:•The UTAH is the same (Agents in SpecvP, etc.)•The EPP is the same (T has a [uD*] feature; there needs to be a DP in SpecTP)•Things to remember:•French/Irish and English differ in whether v moves to T.•Irish and French/English differ in whether the subject moves to SpecTP.•In English yes-no questions (but not in declaratives), T moves to C.English Yes-NoQuestion•In a YNQ, the [Q] feature of C matches and values the [uclause-type:] feature of T as strong ([Q*]).•T moves up to adjoin to C, checking the feature.Analyzing V2•Since the finite verb is sometimes to the left of the subject:•Diesen Roman las ich schon letztes Jahrthis book read I already last year‘I read this book already last year.’•Just like it is in English YNQs:•Will I get an A?•We can suppose that German and English differ in that when C values the [uclause-type:] feature of T, it is always strong.•In fact, more natural sounding than what we have to say in English: When C values [uclause-type:] as [Q] (but not [Decl]) it’s strong.Topics•The constituent that appears first in a V2 clause is generally considered to be a topic.•Suppose that C has a “topic” feature [utop*] and whatever is the topic of the sentence (be it an adverb, the subject, the object) is also marked with an (interpretable) [top] feature.•Then this will work just like the EPP, essentially.V2 languages •The basic idea we’ll be pursuing with respect to V2 languages is this:•To get the tensed verb higher than the subject (which is sometimes is), we move the verb to T, and then T (with the verb) to C.•To put C into “second position”, we move some phrase into SpecCP.•The “first phrase” in V2 languages is generally interpreted as the topic of the sentences.So, we say that thetopic (whatever it isgoing to be) has a featurethat marks it as such:An interpretable [top] feature.Reminder: T, v, and [uInfl:]•The way our system works (movement happens in order to check strong uninterpretable features), we implement this as follows:•Because the verb moves to T, we need there to be a strong feature checked between T and v.•This is common cross-linguistically. Recall French,where the highest verbal head (the v, or an auxiliary) moves to T.•This explained why verbs always precedeadverbs and negation in French.•Since the [tense] feature of Tvalues the [uInfl:] feature ofthe highest verbal head, wesay that in French, when [tense]values [uInfl:], the feature isstrong.Reminder: v to T •So, v starts out with a [uInfl:] feature.•v always starts out with a [uInfl:] feature.•We Merge T, and the [tense] feature (e.g., [past] = [tense:past]) matches and values the [uInfl:] feature.•What differentiates French and English is that when [tense] values [uInfl:], the valued [uInfl:] feature is strong.•In English, it is not strongexcept in one case: if the[uInfl:] feature is one anauxiliary (Perf, Prog, Pass),then a [uInfl:] feature valued by [tense] is strong.•Auxiliaries precedenegation and adverbs,main verbs do not.Reminder: Strong features•Strong features are uninterpretable features that can be checked only when local to (a sister of) the feature that checks them.•Strong features very often = something must move.•A feature gets to be strong in one of two ways:•An inherently strong feature of the lexical item.•v has a strong [uV*] feature.•T has a strong [uD*] feature.•eat (V) has a strong [uD*] feature (associated with the Theme !-role).•A feature that becomes strong when valued.•Prog has a weak [uInfl:] feature. When valued by [tense], it becomes strong. (In English, Aux moves to T: I am not eating green eggs & ham)•T has a weak [uclause-type:] feature. When valued by [clause-type:Q], it becomes strong. (In English, T moves to C in questions: Would you eat them on a train?)V2 languages •To account for the fact that v moves to T and then T moves to C in German: a feature that C values on T is valued as strong.•[uclause-type:] is a perfect candidate.•So, when [uclause-type:] is valued by C in German, it is valued as strong, and so T moves to C.V2 languages•To account for the fact that v moves to T and then T moves to C in German: a feature that C values on T is valued as strong.•[uclause-type:] is a perfect candidate.•So, when [uclause-type:] is valued by C in German, it is valued as strong, and so T moves to C.V2 languages•To account for the fact that the topic moves into SpecCP, we say that C has a [utop*] feature. Whatever is the topic in the sentence will have a feature designating that, [top].•Just like the EPP feature ([uD*]) of T forces the subject into SpecTP, the [utop*] feature of C will force movement of the topic into SpecCP.V2 languages•To account for the fact that the topic moves into SpecCP, we say that C has a [utop*] feature. Whatever is the topic in the sentence will have a feature designating that, [top].•Just like the EPP feature ([uD*]) of T forces the subject into SpecTP, the [utop*] feature of C will force movement of the topic into SpecCP.V2…step 1•V moves to v.•Perf moves to T.•T moves to C.•Subject moves to SpecTP.V2…step 2a•The object is marked as topic.•C
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