Minimalist Syntax for Quantifier Raising, Topicalization and Focus Movement: A Search and Float Approach for Internal Merge

This volume examines how the displacement property of language is characterized in formal terms under the Minimalist Program and to what extent this proposed characterization of it can explain relevant displacement properties. The birth of the Principles and Parameters Approach makes it possible to simplify transformational rules so radically as to be reduced to the single rule Move. The author proposes that Move, as conceived as a special case of Merge, named internal Merge, under the Minimalist Program requires two prerequisite operations: one is to dig into a structure to find a target of Merge, called Search, and the other is to make this target reach the top of the structure, called Float. The author argues that these two different operations are constrained by minimal computation. Due to the nature of how they apply, these operations are constrained by this economy condition in such a way that Search must be minimal and Float obeys Minimize chain links, which requiresthat this operation cannot skip possible landing sites. The author demonstrates that this mechanism of minimal Search and Float deals with a variety of phenomena that involve quantifier raising, such as rigidity effects of scope interaction, the availability of cumulative readings of plural relation sentences and pair-list readings of multiple wh-questions. Also demonstrated in this volume is that the same mechanism properly captures the locality effects of topicalization, focus movement, and ellipsis with contrastive focus.

Offers a new formal characterization of movement under the minimalist program Provides a new perspective on how minimality constrains movement Shows how minimal search and float offer solutions for a variety of phenomena in syntax Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Inhalt
1 Introduction.- 2 Mechanism of Search and Float for Internal Merge.- 2.1 Minimal Search.- 2.2 Float.- 3 Search and Float for Covert Movement.- 3.1 Minimal Search and Float for Quantifier Raising.- 3.2 Covert Wh-Movement.- 3.3 Covert Oblique Movement of Wh-Phrases.- 4 Case Study I: Plurals and Reciprocals.- 4.1 The Cumulative Reading and Clause-Boundedness.- 4.2 The Cumulative Reading and Rigidity.- 4.3 Reciprocals.- 4.4 Sternefeld's (1993) Problem and Further Evidence for QR.- 4.5 Clause-Boundedness and Condition A.- 5 Case Study II: Multiple Wh-Questions in Japanese.- 5.1 Absorption in Japanese Multiple Wh-Questions.- 5.2 The Scope of Multiple Wh-Phrases that Undergo Absorption.- 5.3 What is the Trigger of a Wh-Argument Being Merged with Another.- 5.3.1 Cumulative Readings in Multiple Wh-Questions.- 5.3.2 Pair-List Readings of Multiple Wh-Questions.- 5.4 Intervention Effects and MCL.- 5.5 Pair-List Readings of Plural Dono N-Phrases.- 5.6 Apparent Pair-List Readings.- 6 Search and Float for Topicalization and Focalization.- 6.1 Licensing [S-Focus] Features.- 6.2 Minimal Search and MCL for Licensing [S-Focus] Features.- 6.3 Wh-Movement for Licensing [S-Focus] Features.- 6.4 Licensing [S-Focus] Features in Ellipsis.- Appendix Focus Movement and QR.- 7 Conclusions.- Index.