How large is the left periphery of Present-Day German? A unifying approach to multiply-filled-prefield configurations
In this article, it is proposed that different types of apparent “non-V2” arrangements in Present-Day German matrix clauses which are generally treated independently are similar in nature and derivable by means of a limited number of syntactic operations that do not challenge or put into question th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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De Gruyter
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Open Linguistics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/opli-2020-0177 |
| _version_ | 1798031142855639040 |
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| author | Catasso Nicholas |
| author_facet | Catasso Nicholas |
| author_sort | Catasso Nicholas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this article, it is proposed that different types of apparent “non-V2” arrangements in Present-Day German matrix clauses which are generally treated independently are similar in nature and derivable by means of a limited number of syntactic operations that do not challenge or put into question the classical account of German as a structural V2 language. The analysis reveals that an adequate formalization of all possible left-peripheral word orders must rest upon three basic assumptions: (i) V2 in Modern German main clauses can be neither movement to the head position whose specifier hosts a moved or base-generated XP nor (necessarily) movement to Force°, but can be generalized to raising of the Vfin to Fin°; (ii) German has a Split CP which is fundamentally similar, mutatis mutandis, to that of Romance languages; (iii) this language is subject to the bottleneck effect, which states that all movement into the CP passes through [Spec,FinP]. The theoretical approach pursued here attempts to account for left dislocation and other (frame-setting and non-frame-setting) topicalization phenomena by assuming that in German (differently from other Split-CP languages), XPs base-generated in the middle field move to their surface position by cyclical movement within the left periphery. This allows us to avoid ad hoc explanations, as well as violations of the bottleneck effect. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:52:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-884af88f330b44889744f493634a64ae |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2300-9969 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:52:50Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | De Gruyter |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Open Linguistics |
| spelling | doaj.art-884af88f330b44889744f493634a64ae2022-12-22T04:06:16ZengDe GruyterOpen Linguistics2300-99692021-11-017176080110.1515/opli-2020-0177How large is the left periphery of Present-Day German? A unifying approach to multiply-filled-prefield configurationsCatasso Nicholas0Department of Linguistik/Germanistik, Bergische Universität Wuppertal: Bergische Universitat Wuppertal, Gaußstraße 20, Wuppertal, Nordrhein Westfalen 42119, GermanyIn this article, it is proposed that different types of apparent “non-V2” arrangements in Present-Day German matrix clauses which are generally treated independently are similar in nature and derivable by means of a limited number of syntactic operations that do not challenge or put into question the classical account of German as a structural V2 language. The analysis reveals that an adequate formalization of all possible left-peripheral word orders must rest upon three basic assumptions: (i) V2 in Modern German main clauses can be neither movement to the head position whose specifier hosts a moved or base-generated XP nor (necessarily) movement to Force°, but can be generalized to raising of the Vfin to Fin°; (ii) German has a Split CP which is fundamentally similar, mutatis mutandis, to that of Romance languages; (iii) this language is subject to the bottleneck effect, which states that all movement into the CP passes through [Spec,FinP]. The theoretical approach pursued here attempts to account for left dislocation and other (frame-setting and non-frame-setting) topicalization phenomena by assuming that in German (differently from other Split-CP languages), XPs base-generated in the middle field move to their surface position by cyclical movement within the left periphery. This allows us to avoid ad hoc explanations, as well as violations of the bottleneck effect.https://doi.org/10.1515/opli-2020-0177multiply-filled prefieldgermanverb secondverb thirdsplit cpbottleneck effect |
| spellingShingle | Catasso Nicholas How large is the left periphery of Present-Day German? A unifying approach to multiply-filled-prefield configurations Open Linguistics multiply-filled prefield german verb second verb third split cp bottleneck effect |
| title | How large is the left periphery of Present-Day German? A unifying approach to multiply-filled-prefield configurations |
| title_full | How large is the left periphery of Present-Day German? A unifying approach to multiply-filled-prefield configurations |
| title_fullStr | How large is the left periphery of Present-Day German? A unifying approach to multiply-filled-prefield configurations |
| title_full_unstemmed | How large is the left periphery of Present-Day German? A unifying approach to multiply-filled-prefield configurations |
| title_short | How large is the left periphery of Present-Day German? A unifying approach to multiply-filled-prefield configurations |
| title_sort | how large is the left periphery of present day german a unifying approach to multiply filled prefield configurations |
| topic | multiply-filled prefield german verb second verb third split cp bottleneck effect |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/opli-2020-0177 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT catassonicholas howlargeistheleftperipheryofpresentdaygermanaunifyingapproachtomultiplyfilledprefieldconfigurations |