Wroclaw05



Non-simultanous Phases
Franc Lanko Marusic

Sorry folks, this page has moved to http://semlab1.sbs.sunysb.edu/Users/fmar/egg_2005/abs_nonSF.html. The page is much more up to date, contains papers, links, etc.


Don't bother with the stuff below -- It is out of date!
According to the phase theory, the recent development of the Minimalist Program, sentences are build in smaller chunks - phases. Each phase starts out with its own numeration and is completed when the structure constructed in a phase is sent to the two interfaces, PF and LF. Thus, because of simultaneous Spell-Out, every element participating in the derivation should be both pronounced and interpreted within the same phase. But we know that certain items can be interpreted lower than where they are pronounced, as in total reconstruction, or pronounced lower then where they get interpreted, as in covert movement.

Total reconstruction is analyzed to involve copy theory of movement and deletion of the lower PF copies following some potentially tricky lower-copy-deletion algorithm. Much less clear is the derivation of covert movement since without movement we cannot have two copies of which one could be deleted and we cannot move an item once it is spelled-out. With the help of Copy theory of movement we can derive a solution using another algorithm that would delete the higher PF copy and the lower LF copy, but these algorithms don't really seem to be the optimal solution.

A different approach to the two phenomena is to accept the existence of non-simultaneous phases (PF-only and LF-only Spell-Out), as argued for by Bobaljik and Wurmbrand 2005, Felser 2004, Marusic and Zaucer 2004. If structure can be sent to a single interface, than what has not been sent off can participate in the derivation and move on, thus explaining why sometimes we intepret things lower or higher from where they are pronounced.

This class will first have a look at arguments for positing the existence of non-simultaneus phases. And than discuss the alternative explanation of the two possibly problematic phenomena.

Tentative day-to-day course outline:


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