Empty operator raising in Kitharaka
The Kenyan Bantu language Kitharaka (E.54) has a biclausal construction in which a verb with an athematic subject takes a finite complement. A referential NP in the matrix subject position may acquire its thematic role through linkage with an argument at a lower level of embedding. The paper present...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
LibraryPress@UF
1997-06-01
|
Series: | Studies in African Linguistics |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://journals.flvc.org/sal/article/view/107390 |
_version_ | 1818835891391561728 |
---|---|
author | Carolyn Harford |
author_facet | Carolyn Harford |
author_sort | Carolyn Harford |
collection | DOAJ |
description | The Kenyan Bantu language Kitharaka (E.54) has a biclausal construction in which a verb with an athematic subject takes a finite complement. A referential NP in the matrix subject position may acquire its thematic role through linkage with an argument at a lower level of embedding. The paper presents evidence that this construction, referred to as Empty Operator Raising, involves empty operator movement, although it is also semantically similar to Raising-to-Subject. If the matrix subject is distinct from the subject of the nearest embedded clause, this clause must contain a clefted NP. The author proposes that this clefting is a distancing strategy to prevent an empty operator in SPEC/CP from binding the embedded subject position, to avoid forming an illicit chain with the matrix subject. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-19T02:57:55Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-721984f271ae460da2de41f762dd7fd8 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 0039-3533 2154-428X |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-19T02:57:55Z |
publishDate | 1997-06-01 |
publisher | LibraryPress@UF |
record_format | Article |
series | Studies in African Linguistics |
spelling | doaj.art-721984f271ae460da2de41f762dd7fd82022-12-21T20:38:17ZengLibraryPress@UFStudies in African Linguistics0039-35332154-428X1997-06-0126210.32473/sal.v26i2.107390Empty operator raising in KitharakaCarolyn HarfordThe Kenyan Bantu language Kitharaka (E.54) has a biclausal construction in which a verb with an athematic subject takes a finite complement. A referential NP in the matrix subject position may acquire its thematic role through linkage with an argument at a lower level of embedding. The paper presents evidence that this construction, referred to as Empty Operator Raising, involves empty operator movement, although it is also semantically similar to Raising-to-Subject. If the matrix subject is distinct from the subject of the nearest embedded clause, this clause must contain a clefted NP. The author proposes that this clefting is a distancing strategy to prevent an empty operator in SPEC/CP from binding the embedded subject position, to avoid forming an illicit chain with the matrix subject.https://journals.flvc.org/sal/article/view/107390KitharakaBantuclausal complementraising |
spellingShingle | Carolyn Harford Empty operator raising in Kitharaka Studies in African Linguistics Kitharaka Bantu clausal complement raising |
title | Empty operator raising in Kitharaka |
title_full | Empty operator raising in Kitharaka |
title_fullStr | Empty operator raising in Kitharaka |
title_full_unstemmed | Empty operator raising in Kitharaka |
title_short | Empty operator raising in Kitharaka |
title_sort | empty operator raising in kitharaka |
topic | Kitharaka Bantu clausal complement raising |
url | https://journals.flvc.org/sal/article/view/107390 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT carolynharford emptyoperatorraisinginkitharaka |