Principles and Parameters in a VSO Language A Case Study in Welsh

by Roberts, Ian G.

• ISBN13: 9780195168228
• ISBN10: 0195168224
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-02-03
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This is the first book-length study of Welsh syntax in English using minimalist theory. The central empirical issue addressed is an analysis of word order and clause structure in Welsh, within the context of the Principles and Parameters theory and Welsh as a VSO language. Roberts's centralquestion: Which values of which parameters of Universal Grammar determine VSO order? To answer it, he makes use of parameters whose values are rooted in considerations of typology and language acquisition. Along the way, he shows that Chomsky's recent conception of the Extended Projection Principleis highly relevant, although it requires a slightly more abstract formulation. Roberts's careful use of parameters, his unique cross-linguistic coverage between Welsh and Romance languages, and his reformulation of the Extended Projection Principle make this book of interest to linguists concerned with generative theory and comparative syntax.

Author Biography

Ian Roberts grew up in North Wales and did his graduate work at the University of Southern California. He was previously Professor and Head of English Linguistics at the University of Stuttgart prior to his current post as Professor and Head of Linguistics at the University of Cambridge.

Table of Contents

Introduction	3	(4)
Chapter 1: The Analysis of VSO Languages	7	(40)
1.1 The Subject Leaves VP	9	(10)
1.2 Against Generalized V-to-C	19	(23)
1.3 Conclusion	42	(5)
Chapter 2: Case, Agreement, and Mutation	47	(40)
2.1 The V-Feature	48	(17)
2.2 DP-Licensing and Case	65	(4)
2.3 The Syntax of Direct Object Mutation	69	(16)
2.4 Conclusion	85	(2)
Chapter 3: Genitive Case, Word Order in DP, and Objects of Non-Finite Verbs	87	(32)
3.1 Evidence for N-Movement in Welsh	88	(13)
3.2 Verbal Nouns and Their Complements	101	(17)
3.3 Conclusion	118	(1)
Chapter 4: The C-System and the Extended Projection Principle	119	(24)
4.1 Welsh Particles	120	(4)
4.2 Breton	124	(11)
4.3 Second Position and the EPP	135	(6)
4.4 Conclusion	141	(2)
Chapter 5: Head-Movement and EPP-Features	143	(14)
5.1 Head-Movement	143	(8)
5.2 A Formal Characterization of EPP-Effects	151	(3)
5.3 Conclusion	154	(3)
Notes	157	(30)
References	187	(12)
Index	199