1. Trace Theory Flashcards
What can move?
Arguments move out of the VP into subject position
Wh-phrases move out of IP into CP
Verbs move from V position to I and C
What does structural preservation mean?
movements do not change structures
What is the Projection Principle?
movements do not alter lexical properties
What does movement NOT change?
lexical properties, subjects, heads
What is trace theory
when something moves, the position that it leaves does not disappear and neither is it left empty
What is trace?
the moved element is left behind, phonologically empty
What do traces share with the moved elements?
They have the same properties
What 3 phenomenons support trace theory?
Wanna contraction
Doubling
Resumption
Why does the wanna contraction explain the trace theory?
it would be difficult to account for why wanna contraction can take place in some cases but not others
What is doubling?
when a moved element is pronounced twice, involves the pronounciation of the trace
Which langauges have doubling?
Italian, Dutch dialects, Togo
What are resumptive pronouns?
are pronouns used in positions from which movement has taken place
In which contexts can resumptive pronouns be found in English?
Left dislocation
In constructions that would otherwise involve an ungrammatical movement
What is left dislocation similar to?
topicalisation
What is topicalisation?
the movement of an argument to the front of the clause, the extraction site is left empty
What is left dislocation?
the argument is moved to the front of the clause, but the extraction site is not empty, the extraction site is called a resumptive pronoun
When can traces alternate with resumptive pronouns?
If it is a single clause and it does involve movement
What are Islands?
The syntactic contexts (e.g. a clause which begins with a wh-phrase) which prevent movement
What are the ungrammaticl relative clauses?
relative clauses begin with a wh-phrase
The movement of the relative pronoun is also blocked by Islands
What have been resumptive pronouns claimed to be?
a partial pronounciation of a trace (doubling)
What are visible traces?
resumptive pronouns?
What is characteristic of multiple movement?
It can happen with a single element, and each movement leaves behind a trace
What are indices?
They are used to indicate movement:
[CP who1 was3 [IP t1 t3 [VP see2 -en [VP t1 t2]]]]
What is the phonological evidence for traces?
can be pronounced, block certain phonological processes
