Against the Vacuous Movement Hypothesis

doi:10.18627/jslg.39.3.202311.319

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2023 Vol.39, Issue 3 Preview Page Next Page

Research Article

Against the Vacuous Movement Hypothesis: Kim, Yeon-Seung^1*; ¹ Kongju National University

30 November 2023. pp. 319-334

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Abstract

This paper aims to prove that the Vacuous Movement Hypothesis (VMH) is not acceptable. Many scholars have claimed that the VMH accounts for some phenomena concerning subject-object asymmetries, that-trace effects, and parasitic gap constructions. This paper illustrates that the VMH is problematic on both conceptual and empirical grounds. A new analysis is suggested in order to account for all the examples provided for the VMH. This paper assumes that an interrogative C has an edge feature requiring its specifier to be filled by a wh-phrase or an empty operator. Since the Superiority Condition works among the constituents of the relevant kind and overt wh-phrases and empty operators are different in kind, either can be attracted by an edge feature. It implies that an interrogative subject can remain in-situ if another constituent can move to CP-Spec, attracted by the edge feature of C. If there is only one wh-phrase for occupying CP-Spec, the wh-phrase must move to CP-Spec to satisfy the edge feature whether it is a subject or a non-subject.

Keywords

composed chain

parasitic gap

Phase Impenetrability Condition

Superiority Condition

Vacuous Movement Hypothesis

References

Boškoviċ, Ž. 1997. The Syntax of Nonfinite Complementation: An Economy Approach. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Brillman, R. J. and Hirsch, A. 2016. An anti-locality account of English subject/non-subject asymmetries. Ms. MIT.
Browning, M. A. 1996. CP recursion and that-t effects. Linguistic Inquiry 27.2, 237-255.
Chomsky, N. 1986. Barriers. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Chomsky, N. 1989. Some notes on economy of derivation and representation. MIT Working Papers in Linguistics 10, 43-74.
Chomsky, N. 2001. Derivation by phase. In M. Kenstovicz (ed.), Ken Hale: A Life in Language. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1-52. 10.7551/mitpress/4056.003.0004
Chomsky, N. 2004. Beyond explanatory adequacy. In A. Belletti (ed.), Structures and Beyond: The Cartography of Syntactic Structures. vol. 3, New York: Oxford University Press, 104-131. 10.1093/oso/9780195171976.003.0004
Chomsky, N. 2008. On phases. In R. Freidin, C. P. Otero, and M.-L. Zubizaretta (eds.), Foundational Issues in Linguistic Theory. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 132-166. 10.7551/mitpress/9780262062787.003.0007
Chung, S. and McCloskey, J. 1983. On the interpretation of certain island facts in GPSG. Linguistic Inquiry 14.4, 704-713.
Culicover, P. W. 1993. Evidence against ECP accounts of the that-t effect. Linguistic Inquiry 24.3, 557-561.
Doherty, C. 1997. Clauses without complementizers: Finite IP complementation in English. The Linguistic Review 14, 197-220. 10.1515/tlir.1997.14.3.197
Douglas, J. 2017. Unifying the that-trace and anti-that-trace effects. Glossa: A Journal of General Linguistics 2(1) 60, 1-28. 10.5334/gjgl.312
Engdahl, E. 1983. Parasitic gaps. Linguistics and Philosophy 6.1, 5-34. 10.1007/BF00868088
Erlewine, M. 2017. Why the null complementizer is special in complementizer-trace effects. MIT Working Papers in Linguistics 80, 371-380.
Fox, D. and Pesetsky, D. 2005. Cyclic linearization of syntactic structure. Theoretical Linguistics 31.1, 1-45. 10.1515/thli.2005.31.1-2.1
George, L. 1980. Analogical Generalization in Natural Language Syntax. Doctoral dissertation, MIT. Cambridge, MA.
Grohmann, K. K. 2011. Anti-locality: Too-close relations in grammar. In C. Boeckx (ed.), Linguistic Minimalism. New York: Oxford University Press, 260-290.
Henry, A. 1995. Belfast English and Standard English. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 10.1093/oso/9780195082913.001.0001
Ishii, T. 2004. The phase impenetrability condition, the vacuous movement hypothesis, and that-trace effects. Lingua 114, 183-215. 10.1016/S0024-3841(03)00045-7
Kim, Y.-S. 2023. Against anti-locality in A’-movement. Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics 23, 713-731. 10.15738/kjell.23..202309.713
McCloskey, J. 2000. Quantifier float and wh-movement in an Irish English. Linguistic Inquiry 31.1, 57-84. 10.1162/002438900554299
Nissenbaum, J. 2000. Investigations of Covert Phrase Movement. Doctoral dissertation, MIT. Cambridge, MA.
Pesetsky, D. 2017. Complementizer-trace effects. In M. Everaert and H. van Riemsdijk (eds.), The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Syntax (2nd edition). New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Inc, 1-34. 10.1002/9781118358733.wbsyncom108
Pesetsky, D. and Torrego, E. 2001. T-to-C movement: Causes and consequences. In M. Kenstowicz (ed.), Ken Hale: A life in language. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 355-426. 10.7551/mitpress/4056.003.0014
Radford. A. 2009. An Introduction to English Sentence Structure. New York: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511800924
Rizzi, L. 1997. The fine structure of the left periphery. In L. Haegeman (ed.), Elements of Grammar. Dordrecht: Kluwer, 289-330. 10.1007/978-94-011-5420-8_7

Information

Publisher :The Modern Linguistic Society of Korea
Publisher(Ko) :한국현대언어학회
Journal Title :The Journal of Studies in Language
Journal Title(Ko) :언어연구
Volume : 39
No :3
Pages :319-334
DOI :https://doi.org/10.18627/jslg.39.3.202311.319

[1] Boškoviċ, Ž. 1997. The Syntax of Nonfinite Complementation: An Economy Approach. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

[2] Brillman, R. J. and Hirsch, A. 2016. An anti-locality account of English subject/non-subject asymmetries. Ms. MIT.

[3] Browning, M. A. 1996. CP recursion and that-t effects. Linguistic Inquiry 27.2, 237-255.

[4] Chomsky, N. 1986. Barriers. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

[5] Chomsky, N. 1989. Some notes on economy of derivation and representation. MIT Working Papers in Linguistics 10, 43-74.

[6] Chomsky, N. 2001. Derivation by phase. In M. Kenstovicz (ed.), Ken Hale: A Life in Language. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1-52. 10.7551/mitpress/4056.003.0004

[7] Chomsky, N. 2004. Beyond explanatory adequacy. In A. Belletti (ed.), Structures and Beyond: The Cartography of Syntactic Structures. vol. 3, New York: Oxford University Press, 104-131. 10.1093/oso/9780195171976.003.0004

[8] Chomsky, N. 2008. On phases. In R. Freidin, C. P. Otero, and M.-L. Zubizaretta (eds.), Foundational Issues in Linguistic Theory. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 132-166. 10.7551/mitpress/9780262062787.003.0007

[9] Chung, S. and McCloskey, J. 1983. On the interpretation of certain island facts in GPSG. Linguistic Inquiry 14.4, 704-713.

[10] Culicover, P. W. 1993. Evidence against ECP accounts of the that-t effect. Linguistic Inquiry 24.3, 557-561.

[11] Doherty, C. 1997. Clauses without complementizers: Finite IP complementation in English. The Linguistic Review 14, 197-220. 10.1515/tlir.1997.14.3.197

[12] Douglas, J. 2017. Unifying the that-trace and anti-that-trace effects. Glossa: A Journal of General Linguistics 2(1) 60, 1-28. 10.5334/gjgl.312

[13] Engdahl, E. 1983. Parasitic gaps. Linguistics and Philosophy 6.1, 5-34. 10.1007/BF00868088

[14] Erlewine, M. 2017. Why the null complementizer is special in complementizer-trace effects. MIT Working Papers in Linguistics 80, 371-380.

[15] Fox, D. and Pesetsky, D. 2005. Cyclic linearization of syntactic structure. Theoretical Linguistics 31.1, 1-45. 10.1515/thli.2005.31.1-2.1

[16] George, L. 1980. Analogical Generalization in Natural Language Syntax. Doctoral dissertation, MIT. Cambridge, MA.

[17] Grohmann, K. K. 2011. Anti-locality: Too-close relations in grammar. In C. Boeckx (ed.), Linguistic Minimalism. New York: Oxford University Press, 260-290.

[18] Henry, A. 1995. Belfast English and Standard English. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 10.1093/oso/9780195082913.001.0001

[19] Ishii, T. 2004. The phase impenetrability condition, the vacuous movement hypothesis, and that-trace effects. Lingua 114, 183-215. 10.1016/S0024-3841(03)00045-7

[20] Kim, Y.-S. 2023. Against anti-locality in A’-movement. Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics 23, 713-731. 10.15738/kjell.23..202309.713

[21] McCloskey, J. 2000. Quantifier float and wh-movement in an Irish English. Linguistic Inquiry 31.1, 57-84. 10.1162/002438900554299

[22] Nissenbaum, J. 2000. Investigations of Covert Phrase Movement. Doctoral dissertation, MIT. Cambridge, MA.

[23] Pesetsky, D. 2017. Complementizer-trace effects. In M. Everaert and H. van Riemsdijk (eds.), The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Syntax (2nd edition). New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Inc, 1-34. 10.1002/9781118358733.wbsyncom108

[24] Pesetsky, D. and Torrego, E. 2001. T-to-C movement: Causes and consequences. In M. Kenstowicz (ed.), Ken Hale: A life in language. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 355-426. 10.7551/mitpress/4056.003.0014

[25] Radford. A. 2009. An Introduction to English Sentence Structure. New York: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511800924

[26] Rizzi, L. 1997. The fine structure of the left periphery. In L. Haegeman (ed.), Elements of Grammar. Dordrecht: Kluwer, 289-330. 10.1007/978-94-011-5420-8_7

The Journal of Studies in Language ISSN:1225-4770(Print) 2671-6151(Online) 언어연구

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