Syntactic Dependencies and Phase Extension: Verb Movement in Standard Arabic

Abstract

本文根據 C/T-v 句法依存關係來分析阿拉伯語動詞的必要移動現象。本文\\r 重新檢討 Biberauer 和 Roberts (2010) 所認定動詞移動是再次投射的概念\\r （見 Koenemean 2000; Suranyi 2005; Donati 2006; among others）。對此移\\r 動動機，本文提出不同看法，以局部性(locality)與最後手段(last resort)來分 析。此方法結合 Gallego (2010) 對語段延伸的分析，他認為縮短探針(probe) C 的搜尋範圍(search domain)驅動了動詞移動。本文雖採用同樣的機制，\\r 但對中心語 C 需查核(check)的特徵(feature)與 Gallego 假設不同。我認為所\\r 討論的特徵為 finiteness [Fin]，C 上面的可譯未給值特徵(interpretable unvalue feature)，其值位於輕動詞 v 上。為了避免中心語 T 所造成的干涉 效應(intervention effect)，而且可位於 C 的局部範圍(local domain)，維持探 針(probe)的局部性(locality)，同時延伸輕動詞 vP 的語段範圍，因此，輕動\\r 詞 v 移到 T 的左邊，作為最後手段。

This paper examines verb movement in Standard Arabic and provides a new analysis to account for this obligatory movement in terms of C/T-v syntactic dependencies. I recast the proposal put forth by Biberauer and Roberts (2010) where they claim that verb movement is an instance of a reprojective movement (See also Koenemean 2000; Surányi 2005; Donati 2006; among others). However, I provide a different motivation for this movement in terms of locality and last resort. This approach is coupled with Gallego’s (2010) analysis of phase extension where he argues that verb movement is triggered by the need to minimize the search domain of the C probe. I adopt the same mechanism, but differ with Gallego in the type of feature the head C needs to check. I argue that the feature in question is finiteness [Fin], an interpretable unvalued feature on C, which has a valued instance on v. Therefore, v moves to the left of T, as a last resort, in order to circumvent the intervention effect caused by the head T and to be in the local domain of C; thus, preserving the locality of the probe and extending the vP phase boundary.