: 2018

Syntax: A First Encounter Marcel den Dikken Department of English Linguistics ELTE

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases → SAFEty First • on top of the v–VP core of the structure of the clause, syntax introduces a projection of the functional head I, which is responsible for checking agreement with and assigning nominative Case to the subject in SpecIP • nominative Case is assigned by agreeing I under Spec- Head agreement, while accusative Case is assigned by the [–N] categories (incl. ‘little v’) under government • in finite clauses, the agreeing subject in SpecIP always receives nominative Case; in non-finite clauses, it is not possible for the subject to show agreement with the verb in English (unlike in Portuguese), so the subject of a non- finite clause never receives nominative Case • the subject of certain English non-finite clauses can, however, surface with accusative Case – how?

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases • English cannot produce Portuguese-like inflected infinitives with a nominative subject of the infinitive • but English can mimic them in a way, with the help of the element for, which assigns the subject of the infinitive accusative Case será difícil [eles aprovarem a proposta] it’ll be hard [for them to approve the proposal] it’ll be hard [they to approve the proposal] it’ll be hard [to approve the proposal] * what is this for, and how does it assign accusative Case?

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases for assigns accusative Case under government • we see this Case-assigning for also under Vs like prefer • for+him is not a constituent here • the adjacency condition on accusative Case assignment is in effect here it’ll be hard [for them to approve the proposal it’ll be hard [them to approve the proposal] it’ll be hard [to approve the proposal] * I prefer for him to tell me the truth * for him, I prefer to tell me the truth I prefer (sincerely) for (*sincerely) him to tell me the truth

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases for assigns accusative Case under government V' CP V ?? a complementiser prefer ?? IP for DPi I' him I vP to ti tell me the truth

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases for is the English complementiser for infinitival clauses (with the infinitival marker to under I) V' V CP prefer C IP for DPi I' him I vP to ti tell me the truth

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases that is the English complementiser for finite clauses (with finite tense under I) V' V CP think C IP that DPi I' he I vP -ed ti tell me the truth

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases in both finite and infinitival clauses, the complementiser itself is usually just optionally present: C can be occupied by a silent morpheme V' V CP think C IP that DPi I' he I vP -ed ti tell me the truth

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases in both finite and infinitival clauses, the complementiser itself is usually just optionally present: C can be occupied by a silent morpheme V' V CP think C IP Ø DPi I' he I vP -ed ti tell me the truth

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases in both finite and infinitival clauses, the complementiser itself is usually just optionally present: C can be occupied by a silent morpheme V' V CP prefer C IP Ø DPi I' him I vP to ti tell me the truth

regarding silent morphemes, recall the discussion of v SAFE 9 ‘Little v’ flashback regarding silent morphemes, recall the discussion of v vP DP they v′ v Ø VP V′ V laugh (PP) at me

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases back to CP and overt instances of the complementiser — what other examples can we think of? V' V CP think C IP that DPi I' he I vP -ed ti tell me the truth

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases back to CP and overt instances of the complementiser — what other examples can we think of? V' V CP wonder ✓ C IP if DPi I' he I vP -ed ti tell me the truth

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases back to CP and overt instances of the complementiser — what other examples can we think of? V' V CP wonder * C IP whether DPi I' he I vP -ed ti tell me the truth

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases I wonder [whether or not] he told me the truth I wonder [if or not] he told me the truth I think [that or not] he told me the truth * * V' whether is clearly phrasal in ways that that and if are not V CP wonder * C IP whether DPi I' he I vP -ed ti tell me the truth

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases I wonder [whether or not] he told me the truth I wonder [if or not] he told me the truth I think [that or not] he told me the truth * * V' for true complementisers such as that and if, it makes sense that they cannot be coordinated with not, which itself projects a phrase (cf. certainly not) V CP wonder * C IP whether DPi I' he the Law of Coordination of Likes I vP -ed ti tell me the truth

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases I wonder [whether or not] he told me the truth I wonder [if or not] he told me the truth I think [that or not] he told me the truth * * V' now the fact that whether can be coordinated with not strongly suggests that whether is, like not, a phrase — if so, it cannot occupy the C-position V CP wonder * C IP whether DPi I' he the Law of Coordination of Likes I vP -ed ti tell me the truth

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases I wonder [whether or not] he told me the truth I wonder [if or not] he told me the truth I think [that or not] he told me the truth * * V' now the fact that whether can be coordinated with not strongly suggests that whether is, like not, a phrase — if so, it cannot occupy the C-position V CP wonder * C IP whether DPi I' he Q: where can we put whether, then? I vP -ed ti tell me the truth

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases I wonder [whether or not] he told me the truth I wonder [if or not] he told me the truth I think [that or not] he told me the truth * * V' note that we had left the C-projection rather incomplete up to this point: we projected C straight up to CP, for simplicity; but there is, of course, also a C′ V CP wonder * C IP whether DPi I' he Q: where can we put whether, then? I vP -ed ti tell me the truth

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases I wonder [whether or not] he told me the truth I wonder [if or not] he told me the truth I think [that or not] he told me the truth * * CP note that we had left the C-projection rather incomplete up to this point: we projected C straight up to CP, for simplicity; but there is, of course, also a C′ Spec C' * C IP whether DPi I' he Q: where can we put whether, then? I vP -ed ti tell me the truth

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases I wonder [whether or not] he told me the truth I wonder [if or not] he told me the truth I think [that or not] he told me the truth * * CP SpecCP is the perfect place to put phrasal whether Spec C' * C IP whether DPi I' he Q: where can we put whether, then? I vP -ed ti tell me the truth

Complementiser Phrases SAFE 9 Complementiser Phrases I wonder [whether or not] he told me the truth I wonder [if or not] he told me the truth I think [that or not] he told me the truth * * CP SpecCP is the perfect place to put phrasal whether ✓ whether C' now the C-position remains empty again: a null morpheme is sitting in C C IP Ø DPi I' he I vP -ed ti tell me the truth

SAFE Deposits → at this time, let us revisit our SAFE Deposit Box • we had previously built the structure of the clause up to the IP, projected by the functional head I (for ‘inflection’) • for many clauses in English, projecting the structure up to IP is sufficient • but subordinate clauses in English are often introduced by a functional element – a so-called complementiser • English has an infinitival complementiser, for, as well as two finite complementisers, that (for declarative clauses) and if (for interrogative clauses) • the complementiser for is able to assign accusative Case to the subject of the clause in its complement • the complementisers for and that have very little meaning so they can often be omitted; CP then has a silent head • the SpecCP position is useful for phrasal whether

Syntax: A First Encounter Marcel den Dikken Department of English Linguistics ELTE

: 2018