Two types of empty functional heads as hosts of pronominal clitics
Creators: name: Terzi, Arhondo
Publisher: name: Selected papers on theoretical and applied linguistics
Year: 1994

description: Two Types of Empty Functional Heads as Hosts of Pronominal Clitics. In Kayne (1993) two alternatives are conjectured for the adjunction of multiple clitics: a) each clitic adjoins to a different (empty) functional head; b) clitics adjoin to each other and the resulting complex to a functional head. In this paper I show that double object clitics in Standard Greek (SG) and Cypriot Greek (CG) provide evidence for the first option. Furthermore, I claim that Kayne's system, combined with economy principles underlying movement (Chomsky 1989,1991) explains the ordering possibilities that double object clitics manifest in certain syntactic environments in Greek, and provides evidence for the existence of two types of empty functional heads, that is, place-holder functional heads that bear no features versus empty functional heads associated with features also shared by the verb. While clitics precede finite verbs in SG, (la), they follow imperatives and gerunds, (lb), (lc). Adopting Kayne's (1991) proposals for English and Romance infinitives and Rivera's (1988) for imperatives and gerunds in Greek, I consider the word order in (lb) and (lc) to be the result of the vert&gt; having moved past the clitics. (1) a. Mou to edoses. b. Dos'i mou to tj c. DinondaSi mou to t,... me it gave-2s-IND give-2s-IMP me it giving-GER me it 'You gave it to me.' 'Give it to me!' 'Giving it to me...' In contrast with finite structures, however, where double clitics demonstrate a fixed order (and precede the verb (la) vs. (2a)), they may also demonstrate the reverse order when following imperatives (lb), (2b) or gerunds (lc), (2c). (2) a. *To mou edoses. b. [Dos/ toj mou t, tj. c. [DinondaSj to,] mou t, tj... it me gave-2s-IND give it me giving it me I show that the flexibility illustrated by imperatives and gerunds is due to the fact that clitics may adjoin to different functional heads in Greek with the result that the verb may move via the functional head hosting the lower clitic (to) and carry it along to C (in 2b) or to I (in 2c). This possibility is available because the lower clitic is adjoined to the functional head dominating Tense, not lexically realized in gerunds and imperatives. According to my proposal, the rigid order of clitics associated with finite verbs, (la) vs. (2a), can be attributed to either or both of two separate factors: a) Lack of movement in (2a). b) In finite contexts clitics adjoin to empty heads that serve as place holders rather than to heads dominating inflectional morphemes (adjunction to the latter is excluded by Kayne's system as multiple adjunction). Movement of the verb through place-holder heads is excluded as these are not associated with features also found in the verb, which triggers and allows verb movement through them (Chomsky 1989, 1991). Evidence for b) above as an independent factor is provided by CG. Like in SG, clitics follow imperatives and gerunds in CG. But contrary to SG, clitics have to follow the verb in finite contexts as well (cf. (3a) vs. (la)). That is, CG is a Tobler-Moussafia language and clitics can never appear first. Following our predictions, where either order is available for double object clitics that follow imperatives and gerunds, that is, (lb-c), (2b-c) also hold for CG, only one order is possible for clitics that follow finite verbs (3b) vs. (3c). (3) a. *Mou to edokes. b. Edokes mou to. c. 'Edokes to mou. me it gave-2s-IND gave-2s-IND me it gave-2s-IND it me 'You gave it to me.' 'You gave it to me.' 'You gave it to me.' Finally, I will show that the strict order that double clitics manifest in other languages exemplifies the paramctric option instantiated by the second of Kayne's hypotheses, i.e., that clitics adjoin to each other, thus cannot be stranded by verb movement of the type that takes place in (2b-c).
description: Selected papers on theoretical and applied linguistics, Vol 8 (1994): Proceedings of 8th International Symposium on English and Greek: Description and/or Comparison of the Two Languages, Thessaloniki 28-30 March 1994