Abstract: This paper proposes a Minimalist analysis of the case and [EPP] features on T and v which accounts for the basic morphosyntactic properties of syntactic ergativity. I show first that absolutives should not be analyzed as subjects and accordingly propose that their case-licensing features be distributed between T and v. The hallmark characteristics of syntactic ergativity, which are the absolutive restriction on A'- extraction and the antipassive construction, are accounted for by limiting [EPP] features to transitive (and not intransitive or antipassive) v. Generally speaking, I show that while both case and [EPP] features are obligatorily checked by T in accusative languages, the role of in feature-checking is much more prominent in ergative languages. In descriptive terms, it can be said that accusative languages have a clear notion of grammatical subject, while in ergative languages absolutives have properties of both subjects and objects.
Publication Year: 2007
Publication Date: 2007-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 61
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