Phi-features and the Modular Architecture of - UMR 7023 - CNRS

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5.5). Other speakers find the same contrast between transport and invite as with
mediopassives, (409). Variation on this matter is considerable. 201
(408) a. *Hervé me fera repasser à Louise.
Herve will have Louise iron me.
b. Si j'étais une chemise, Hervé me ferait repasser à Louise.
If I were a shirt, Herve would have Louise iron me.
(French, Postal 1989: 104; % )
(409) a. ?/*Mon siège est léger, vous pouvez me faire transporter à n'importe
qui.
My chair is light, you can make/let anyone carry me.
b. *Je sais me tenir, vous pouvez me faire inviter à n'importe qui.
I know how to behave myself, you can make/let anyone invite me.
(French)
It is considerably harder to eliminate the PCC when the dative is also a clitic.
Most speakers find (410) irredeemably bad. Others find a striking amelioration
with an inanimate 1 st person, although difficulty remains. 202
(410) a. */?(?)Ces malheureuxi ont rêvé que j'étais un médicament, et qu'on me
leuri distribuait gratuitement.
These unfortunate people dreamt that I was a drug, and that one distributed
me to them freely.
b. [Context: There is an exposition of statues of famous singers in Québec.
A singer arrives and says, about his heavy statue: How come I'm not
going to Québec?]
On ne peux pas vous leur envoyer, parce que vous êtes trop lourd.
We cannot send you to them, because you are too heavy.
(French, Rezac and Jouitteau in prep.)
The degradation in comparison with (409)a is explicable through the properties
of clitic clusters. The PCC eliminates most possible 1/2.ACC DAT clitic clusters
in French and all the frequent (monoclausal) ones. Such absences are sometimes
grammaticalized as purely morphological gaps in clitic and agreement morpheme
combinations (Rezac 2010a). In French, such gaps might explain the variable absence
of 1/2.ACC DAT in ECM, and if they cover syncretic clusters, 1/2.DAT
DAT as well (chapter 4: Appendix A and section 6 respectively). Analogous ero-
201 All participants in the questionnaire of chapter 4 found (409)b sharply ungrammatical, while
the status of (409)a ranges from the same scores (most speakers) to perfect.
202 Rezac and Jouitteau (in prep.) find that 7/15 speakers find amelioration from 0 to 5-8 on a 10point
scale in (410)a by adding the dream context, others (virtually) none. Further inquiries suggest
that speakers who find improvement in (408)a also find good (408)b and have easier access
to 1/2.ACC 3.DAT clitic clusters in the ECM constructions discussed chapter 4, Appendix A.