Branching constraints

  • Rejecting approaches with a directionality parameter, mainstream minimalism has adopted the notion of strict (or unidirectional) branching. Within optimality theory however, constraints have recently been proposed that presuppose that the branching direction scheme is language specific. I show that a syntactic analysis of Chechen word order and relative clauses using strict branching and movement triggered by feature checking seems very unlikely, whereas a directionality approach works well. I argue in favor of a mixed directionality approach for Chechen, where the branching direction scheme depends on the phrase type. This observation leads to the introduction of context variants of existing markedness constraints, in order to describe the branching processes in terms of optimality theory. The paper discusses how and where the optimality theory selection of the branching directions can be implemented within a minimalist derivation.

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Metadaten
Author details:Erwin R. Komen
URN:urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-32273
ISSN:1616-7392
ISSN:1864-1857
Title of parent work (German):Linguistics in Potsdam
Publication type:Article
Language:English
Publication year:2009
Publishing institution:Universität Potsdam
Release date:2009/06/24
Tag:Chechen; branching; extraposition; focus; minimalist program; optimality theory
Issue:28
First page:157
Last Page:186
RVK - Regensburg classification:EQ 3310
Organizational units:Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Strukturbereich Kognitionswissenschaften / Department Linguistik
DDC classification:4 Sprache / 40 Sprache / 400 Sprache
Collection(s):Universität Potsdam / Schriftenreihen / Linguistics in Potsdam: LIP, ISSN 1864-1857 / LIP (2009) 28
Institution name at the time of the publication:Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Linguistik / Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft
License (German):License LogoKeine öffentliche Lizenz: Unter Urheberrechtsschutz
External remark:
In Printform erschienen im Universitätsverlag Potsdam:

Broekhuis, Hans: Optimality theory and minimalism : interface theories / Hans Broekhuis, Ralf Vogel (eds.)
Potsdam : Universitätsverlag Potsdam, 2009. - 212 S.
ISSN 1616-7392
ISBN 978-3-940793-61-4
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