Jaume Solà i Pujols - Departament de Filologia Catalana ...

Summing up, Nominative assignment works in the following way:
a) T o is the unmarked Nominative Case-marker: it is so in NSLs, which are the unmarked
option: both in finite clauses and, with the unmarked parallelism option, also in infinitives.
b) AGR o is, to use a metaphor, 'jealous' of T o 's Nominative Case marking: if T o actually
assigns Nominative (in the cases mentioned in a)), then, if AGR o is around (in finite clauses,
control, and Raising, and AUX-to-COMP), it wants to take part (just like a jealous younger baby
wants to take part in the older baby's game whenever the latter plays). Since AGR has a lot of
restrictions for its own licensing, this ultimately will reduce the possibilities for subjects to
control, raising and ECM (in the metaphor, the younger baby's taking part actually reduces the
possibilities for the older one's games).
c) If AGR o is not around (in IOS minus AUX-to-COMP), then T o can assign Nominative
alone, and the possibilities for subjects seem to surprisingly increase (the little baby is not
pestering around).
d) In languages where T o never assigns Nominative (non-NSLs), AGR is the only Case
assigner (by agreement).
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