Comparative Syntax of the Balkan Languages (Oxford ... - Cryptm.org

3Head-to-Head Mergein Balkan Subjunctives and LocalityCarmen Dobrovie-Sorin1. IntroductionThe data to be analyzed below belong to three types of constructions, which areheld to be syntactically distinct in GB analyses: control, raising to subject, andobviation. Extending Dobrovie-Sorin's (1994. chap. 4) analysis of Romanian tothe other Balkan languages, I will argue that the data support a unified analysisalong the lines of Koster (1978, 1984, 1987), who proposes that the samesyntactic configuration, namely anaphoric binding, underlies both control andsubject raising. The phenomenon referred to as obviation can also be restated interms of anaphoric binding.Insofar as it unifies control and subject raising, Koster's GB analysis isconceptually close to minimalist analyses such as those of Hornstein (to appear)and Manzini and Roussou (1998). The difference between the two models obviouslytriggers different implementations. Thus, within GB, it is anaphoric bindingthat provides the common basis that allows us to unify bound anaphora (inparticular control) and NP movement (in particular subject raising). Withinminimalism, on the other hand, anaphoric binding has no theoretical status, andthe relevant empirical generalizations are restated in terms of the Attract/Moveoperation. The two implementations will be thoroughly compared.Balkan subjunctives' allow their subject DP to enter into a local relationwith an argument of the main clause. Compare the subjunctive clauses ofRomance languages other than Romanian, which block such a relation. The distinguishingbehavior of Balkan subjunctives will be shown to be due to theirparticular constituent structure, which can be more adequately represented withinbare phrase structure (Chomsky 1994) than within X'-theory (Chomsky 1986).As a result of our investigation, we will be able to circumscribe the propertiesthat Balkan subjunctives have in common with the infinitives of Germanicand Romance languages. It seems natural to believe that it is precisely theseproperties that allowed the Balkan subjunctive to replace the infinitive."44