Determiner Phrase and Case in Turkish

This work discusses the syntactic properties of
nominals in Turkish, their Case properties and the
implications of a theory of grammar in which the
dislocation of arguments is not motivated by the
Extended Projection Principle (EPP), but by
structural Case checking. It is proposed that Turkish
referential nominals possess a Determiner Phrase (DP)
layer where Dº assigns referentiality. DP is argued
to select a Number Phrase (NumP)/Classifer Phrase
(ClP) both subcategorizing for an NP. Non-referential
nominals are argued to be bare NPs without the
functional categories that referential nominals bear.
It is argued that DPs undergo dislocation from their
base-generated positions to Spec positions of higher
functional heads with which they form a -Agree
relation, whereas NPs remain in their merge
positions. In terms of Case properties, NPs bear weak
Case feature and they undergo adhesion to the verb to
be licensed; whereas DPs bear strong Case feature. It
is argued that the analysis where dislocation is
motivated by the EPP feature of the functional heads
faces economy problems. This study claims that it is
the strong Case feature of nominals which forces them
to undergo dislocation.

Autorentext

Ph.D. in Linguistics in 2006 at Bogaziçi University, Istanbul.Instructor at the Turkish Language and Literature Department atBogaziçi University since 1999. Specialization areas: Turkishsyntax and Turkish as a foreign language.

Klappentext

This work discusses the syntactic properties ofnominals in Turkish, their Case properties and theimplications of a theory of grammar in which thedislocation of arguments is not motivated by theExtended Projection Principle (EPP), but bystructural Case checking. It is proposed that Turkishreferential nominals possess a Determiner Phrase (DP)layer where Dº assigns referentiality. DP is arguedto select a Number Phrase (NumP)/Classifer Phrase(ClP) both subcategorizing for an NP. Non-referentialnominals are argued to be bare NPs without thefunctional categories that referential nominals bear.It is argued that DPs undergo dislocation from theirbase-generated positions to Spec positions of higherfunctional heads with which they form a f-Agreerelation, whereas NPs remain in their mergepositions. In terms of Case properties, NPs bear weakCase feature and they undergo adhesion to the verb tobe licensed; whereas DPs bear strong Case feature. Itis argued that the analysis where dislocation ismotivated by the EPP feature of the functional headsfaces economy problems. This study claims that it isthe strong Case feature of nominals which forces themto undergo dislocation.