morphological? - KOPS - Universität Konstanz

4.2.5 Outline of an analysis based on Grimshaw (2005 [1991])
• The Spanish infintive is both [+ verbal] and [+ nominal]
• It may be inserted into V or into N
• Hence, it can occur in all syntactic positions in which a noun can occur and in all positions
in which a verb can occur.
How to explain that a VP containing an infinitive can be the complement of a determiner?
Assumption 1
• Lexical categorial features are not just conditions on insertion
• Rather, lexical heads are inserted with their categorial features; features percolate to
the maximal projection
Note
I take the feature [+nominal, +verbal] to be associated with the infinitive; but one could also
think of them as being associated with the infinitival affix -r.
Assumption 2
• The determiner takes a complement that is specified as [+ nominal] (but it need not be
an NP)
• The determiner forms an extended projection with its nominal complement. Therefore,
it can look into the feature specifications of its complement.
• A determiner may thus combine with a VP containing an infinitive, because this VP is
specified as [+ nominal].
Why is French different?
French
• The French infinitive is [+ verbal, -nominal]
• Therefore, it cannot be inserted into N
In French, there is no possibility of generating nominal constructions headed by an infinitive.
But
• some infinitives have been lexicalized as [+nominal, -verbal]
(62) le souvenir 'remebrance, le diner 'dinner', etc.
What about example (62), L'espace requiert l'habiter?
• Infinitives of the type exemplified in (62) are verbs that are converted to nouns, cf.
(63) [cf. Kerleroux 1990 for a critical discussion of a similar proposal]
(63) "L'espace requiert l'habiter."
(64) [ [habiter]V ]N
• Since they have no derivational (or inflectional) affix, they cannot have argument
structure (cf. Grimshaw 1990: 65-67).
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