Parallel A/A-bar movement

  • Platzack, Christer (PI)

Project: Research

Project Details

Popular science description

Chomsky has recently suggested that A movement and A-bar movement of a wh-subject takes place in parallel to first position (Spec-CP) and to subject position (Spec-TP)

(1) Who saw John?

In my project I will investigate the consequences of this hypothesis for the description of the Scandinvian languages.

It is standardly assumed that the fronting of a wh-subject takes place in two steps: firstly A-movement from the theta-position in vP to Spec-TP (the subject position), secondly A-bart movement from this position to sentence initial position, Spec-CP.

(1) Who saw John

Recently, Chomsky has suggested that both the A-chain and the A-bart chain have the theta position in vP as tail, and that A-movement to Spec-TP and A-bar movement to Spec-CP takes place in parallel, and that it is the first instance of the wh-word that is pronounced. In my project I will investigate the consequences of Chomsky's hypothesis for the Scandinavian languages.
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date2010/01/012013/12/31