Francisco Ordonez

The Clausal Structure of Spanish

A Comparative Study

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

This work studies various aspects of word order and clause structure in Spanish that have proved problematic for syntactic theory. These aspects are explored theoretically in light of the antisymmetry approach of Kayne (1994) and empirically by examining parallel structures in related languages. For example, the author uses antisymmetry to critique the traditional understanding of post-verbal subjects, which have assumed a right-adjunction approach. However, he provides empirical as well as theoretical reasons to believe that a combination of leftward movements constitutes a better alternative. Likewise, the study uses a number of combined theoretical and empirical arguments to provide new and more constrained analyses of overt "wh-movement and pre-verbal subjects. It shows that the obligatory post-verbal positioning of overt subjects cannot be explained by recourse to a required overt head movement of the verb. Instead, the author explains this restriction by proposing that overt subjects, which are always topicalized in Spanish, conflict with the feature specifications of "wh-complementizers. Finally, the author relates the obligatory topicalized nature of pre-verbal subjects in Spanish to a proposal that person agreement morphemes on the verb should be considered arguments that receive the subject theta-role. This book will be of interest to syntacticians and comparitivists, as well as scholars of Romance languages.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd (Sales)
• Seitenzahl: 210
• Erscheinungstermin: 15. April 2000
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 237mm x 155mm x 18mm
• Gewicht: 431g
• ISBN-13: 9780815337881
• ISBN-10: 0815337884
• Artikelnr.: 21890723

Autorenporträt

Francisco Ordonez

Inhaltsangabe

Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
Framework: antisymmetry
Background: hierarchical structure and linear order
Some Inadequacies of the Symmetric View
Spec Head Complement as Universal Order
The Formulation of the LCA
LCA and its consequences
2. The VSO/VOS Alternation in Spanish
Introduction
the VSO and VOS order in Spanish
The analysis of VSO and VOS
The asymmetries
Binding
Conclusion
3. Focus and Post-Verbal Subjects in Romance
Introduction
Distribution of Post-verbal subjects in Italian, Catalan and French
Distribution of post-verbal subjects in Spanish
Post-verbal subjects in Neutral Phrase
Post-verbal subjects in Focus Phrase
Proposal: LPR with Post-verbal subjects
Consequences for nonarguments
Consequences for arguments
Spanish VOS order
Comparing LPR to the right adjunction alternative
Conclusion
4. Inversion in Interrogatives in Spanish and Catalan
Introduction
Antisymmetry and the landing of clitics
The position of the post-verbal subjects in interrogatives
V-to-C and the free inversion construction
Piedmontese
The obligatoriness of inversion in Interrogatives in Spanish and Catalan
Conclusion
Appendix Left Dislocated Subjects and Pro-Drop Introduction
Empirical Evidence
Dislocated subjects. Previous accounts
person Agreement as a clitic
Conclusion
References
Index.