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

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The irrelevance of surface morphology is apparent through the variety of clitic
clusters that are morphologically syncretic with those barred by the PCC, yet unaffected
by it. The basic contrasts are illustrated in (117), partly drawn from Postal's
(1990: Appendix A) comprehensive resume and frequently corroborated in the literature,
e.g. Morin (1978: 358), Miller (1992: 264f.), Laenzlinger (1993: 258),
Nicol (2005: 160). 53 1/2.ACC DAT clitic clusters are always ungrammatical,
whether in simplex (114) or complex (117)e structures, save the Exceptional Case
Marking structure (117)d available to some speakers. 1/2.DAT DAT clusters
(117)a-c are systematically syncretic with them, yet for many speakers, they are
perfect. The discriminating factor is syntax, or at any rate abstract morphology.
(117) a. ( % )Lucille nous leur présentera tleur Henri. (ethical dative)
Lucille will introduce Henry to them.D (leur) on us.D (nous)!
b. % Lucille nous leur semble tnous [infidèle tleur]. (raising)
Lucille seems to us.D unfaithful to them.D.
c. % Lucille nous leur a fait [tnous [présenter tleur Jacques]]. (causative)
Lucille had us.D introduce Jacques to them.D.
d. % Lucille nous leur croit [tnous [fidèle tleur]]. (ECM)
Lucille believes us.A faithful to them.D.
e. *Lucille nous leur a fait [présenter tleur tnous par Jacques]. (causative)
Lucille had us.A be introduced to them.D by Jacques.
(cf. Postal 1990: Appendix A)
The second important result is that the PCC repair, which permits an unfocussed
dative pronoun to be à + strong pronoun in a PCC context, is not a general
response to the unavailability of a dative clitic. Blanche-Benveniste (1975) and
Kayne (1975) especially have established this point in detail, and section 4.6 both
reviews and adds to this work. Prior to illustrating it, it is useful to introduce an
important form of PCC repair available in only some varieties of French. Beside
dative and accusative DP-like clitics, French also has locative and genitive pro-PP
clitics. The grammars with the additional repair can replace the dative clitic by the
locative clitic y, in the same PCC contexts where all varieties can do so by à + an
unfocussed strong pronoun, and only there, as in (118) (Couquaux 1975, Postal
1990, Rezac 2010c). This y-repair of y-grammars, notated ¥ , plays a supporting but
useful role here. The PCC repair by à + strong pronoun is string-identical with the
independent use of strong pronouns under semantic focus, which needs to be controlled
for. The y-repair is string-identical only with the independent use of y for
locative arguments, which is a very salient meaning difference. 54
(118) a. ¥ Lucille la/*vous leur présentera
b. ¥ Lucille *la/vous y présentera
c. ¥ Lucille *la/vous présentera à elles
54 To be categorically distinguished are varieties with dative-locative syncretisms, like Morin
(1979b), Auger (1994), Lambrecht (1981), Schwegler (1990), compared in Rezac (2010c).