'Tough'-constructions and their derivation

This article addresses the syntax of the notorious 'tough' (-movement) construction (TC) in English. TCs exhibit a range of apparently contradictory empirical properties suggesting that their derivation involves the application of both A-movement and A'-movement operations. Given that within previous Principles and Parameters models TCs have remained “unexplained and in principle unexplainable” (Holmberg 2000: 839) due to incompatibility with constraints on theta-assignment, locality, and Case, this article argues that the phase-based implementation of the Minimalist program (Chomsky 2000, 2001, 2004) permits a reanalysis of null wh-operators capable of circumventing the previous theoretical difficulties. Essentially, 'tough'-movement consists of A-moving a constituent out of a “complex” null operator which has already undergone A'-movement, a “smuggling” construction in the terms of Collins (2005a,b

Two Components of Long-Distance Extraction: Successive Cyclicity in Dinka

This article presents novel data from the Nilotic language Dinka, in which the syntax of successive-cyclic movement is remarkably transparent. We show that Dinka provides strong support for the view that long-distance extraction proceeds through the edge of every verb phrase and every clause on the path of movement (Chomsky 1986, 2000, 2001, 2008). In addition, long-distance dependencies in Dinka offer evidence that extraction from a CP requires agreement between v and the CP that is extracted from (Rackowski and Richards 2005, Den Dikken 2009b, 2012a,b). The claim that both of these components constrain long-distance movement is important, as much contemporary work on extraction incorporates only one of them. To accommodate this conclusion, we propose a modification of Rackowski and Richards 2005, in which both intermediate movement and Agree relations between phase heads are necessary steps in establishing a long-distance dependency

Unagreement is an illusion

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11049-015-9311-yThis paper proposes an analysis of unagreement, a phenomenon involving an apparent mismatch between a definite third person plural subject and first or second person plural subject agreement observed in various null subject languages (e.g. Spanish, Modern Greek and Bulgarian), but notoriously absent in others (e.g. Italian, European Portuguese). A cross-linguistic correlation between unagreement and the structure of adnominal pronoun constructions suggests that the availability of unagreement depends on whether person and definiteness are hosted by separate heads (in languages like Greek) or bundled on a single head (i.e. pronominal determiners in languages like Italian). Null spell-out of the head hosting person features high in the extended nominal projection of the subject leads to unagreement. The lack of unagreement in languages with pronominal determiners results from the interaction of their syntactic structure with the properties of the vocabulary items realising the head encoding both person and definiteness. The analysis provides a principled explanation for the cross-linguistic distribution of unagreement and suggests a unified framework for deriving unagreement, adnominal pronoun constructions, personal pronouns and pro

Educación para el desarrollo en Castilla y León: cómo vemos el mundo

439 p.Quienes creemos que son necesarios cambios en el sistema económico, político y financiero mundial que permitan avanzar en el desarrollo humano sostenible de los pueblos, superando las injusticias y las brechas de desigualdad en el acceso a los recursos, siempre hemos considerado la educación como una pieza clave para conducir ese cambio, y a la universidad como un agente fundamental que puede y debe desarrollarla. Es difícil reflexionar sobre la “Educación para el Desarrollo” distanciándose de los acontecimientos que durante los últimos meses están ocurriendo en Europa y España. Estamos viendo y viviendo cómo la crisis financiera y económica es utilizada para justificar decisiones políticas que reducen nuestro nivel de bienestar. Es inevitable la comparación con los planes de ajuste estructural (PAE) que desde los años 80 se impusieron al dictado del FMI y el BM a los países empobrecidos como respuesta a la crisis de la Deuda Externa, así como sus nefastas consecuencias sociales y económicas para los pueblos afectado

The Impact of Generative Grammar on Traditional Issues in Romance Philology

[No abstract

The Impact of Generative Grammar on Traditional Issues in Romance Philology

[No abstract