TY - JOUR
T1 - Moving heads to specifiers
T2 - Evidence from Mandarin multiple pre-subject modals
AU - Lai, Jackie Yan-Ki
AU - Li, Haoming
PY - 2024/2
Y1 - 2024/2
N2 - Based on a hitherto neglected set of multiple pre-subject modal sentences, this article offers a novel syntactic account of Mandarin modals whereby the derivation of pre-subject modal sentences involves Internal Merge of modals to specifiers of the left-peripheral focus projection, and discusses new problems facing a traditional head-movement analysis and the existing XP-movement accounts. Our proposal lends novel support to recent claims that “true” syntactic head movement targets specifier positions. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023.
AB - Based on a hitherto neglected set of multiple pre-subject modal sentences, this article offers a novel syntactic account of Mandarin modals whereby the derivation of pre-subject modal sentences involves Internal Merge of modals to specifiers of the left-peripheral focus projection, and discusses new problems facing a traditional head-movement analysis and the existing XP-movement accounts. Our proposal lends novel support to recent claims that “true” syntactic head movement targets specifier positions. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023.
KW - (Internal) Merge
KW - Head movement
KW - Mandarin
KW - Modals
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85166409123&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/pubmetrics.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85166409123&origin=recordpage
U2 - 10.1007/s11049-023-09579-0
DO - 10.1007/s11049-023-09579-0
M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal
SN - 0167-806X
VL - 42
SP - 247
EP - 272
JO - Natural Language & Linguistic Theory
JF - Natural Language & Linguistic Theory
IS - 1
ER -