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

2. Possible Solutions Based on CHAIN Theory
In this section we will try to provide a way of deriving BG which would be based on
Chomsky's (1986-b) theory of CHAINS, together with a version of the Extended Projection
Principle and other more or less independently motivated assumptions. Later we will argue that
this solution is not adequate, and argue for a radically different hypothesis. Some version of the
EPP, whether a primitive or a theorem, will be required in any case. Let us start by a brief review
of how the EPP can be used to derive BG.
2.1. The Extended Projection Principle
As far as the EPP requires some DP to appear in the sentence subject position, it can be
conceived as a way to derive BG, specifically 0.b) above: what we want to explain is why
Accusative cannot be assigned when there is no EA. Roughly stated the answer would be: when
the EA is not present, the EPP requires the internal Argument to raise to subject position. So,
supposing there were verbs not having an EA and at the same time assigning Accusative, and to
sink was one of them, a sentence like 0 could be excluded because of the EPP, since no DP is
filling the subject position:
(8) *Sank [the boat]-acc
Since the boat has to raise to subject position, where (in a finite sentence) it will receive
Nominative, then Accusative cannot be assigned, because if it were the Chain (the boat, t) would
have two Cases:
(9) *The boatNom sank tAcc
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