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structure than the verb phrase and a clause internal focus position, as illustrated by (385),
where the lines indicate case assignment.
(385) …[AccP v+Acc [FocP [subject] Foc [vP tsubject tv [VP V object]]]]
X
Since Italian postverbal subjects are focused, the subject moves to the specifier of the
focus phrase. When this occurs, the subject intervenes between Acc and the object, which
remains in the VP. In order for accusative case to be assigned to the object, Acc must
establish an Agree relationship with the object. However the position of the subject
prevents it from doing so. This is because a Relativized Minimality (RM) violation will
occur if Acc establishes an Agree relationship with the object, which bears case features,
when there is an intervening element – the subject – which bears features of the same
structural type as case. While Belletti ties this RM violation to the subject's Focus
features, which, according to Rizzi's (1990, 2001, 2002) categorization of features, are of
the same structural type as case, the fact that both the subject and the object bear case
features is sufficient to rule out any derivation in which the subject intervenes between
Acc and the object.
One important difference between Marshallese and Italian is that Marshallese
internal subjects are not focused. So, rather than moving to the specifier of a Focus
phrase, Marshallese subjects remain in the specifier of the verb phrase. But this fact is not
problematic. Since the subject bears case features, a RM violation will still result if the
subject remains in any position between Acc and the object, which also bears case
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