15.3131, Diss: Semantics/Syntax: Butler: 'Phase Structure...'

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LINGUIST List: Vol-15-3131. Sun Nov 07 2004. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 15.3131, Diss: Semantics/Syntax: Butler: 'Phase Structure...'

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1)
Date: 05-Nov-2004
From: Jonny Butler < jonny at ifla.uni-stuttgart.de >
Subject: Phase Structure, Phrase Structure, and Quantification


	
-------------------------Message 1 ----------------------------------
Date: Sun, 07 Nov 2004 21:30:42
From: Jonny Butler < jonny at ifla.uni-stuttgart.de >
Subject: Phase Structure, Phrase Structure, and Quantification


Institution: University of York
Program: Department of Language and Linguistic Science
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2004

Author: Jonny Butler

Dissertation Title: Phase Structure, Phrase Structure, and Quantification

Dissertation URL: http://semanticsarchive.net/Archive/WY4ZDQ4N/butler_thesis.pdf

Linguistic Field(s): Semantics; Syntax

Dissertation Director(s):
George Tsoulas
David Adger

Dissertation Abstract:

I combine two areas of investigation in current syntactic literature: (1)
the structure of the clause contains layers of hierarchically ordered
quantificational heads, situated above the temporal and verbal fields
(Beghelli & Stowell 1997); (2) the clause is built in phases - subclausal
building blocks with parallel properties.

I claim these two threads should be tied together, in that phases should be
defined in terms of such quantificational layers. Precisely, I claim a
phase consists of some property denoting head H, topped by some associated
'little' head(s) h (as v over V) - this, the phase domain - surmounted by a
CP layer - the phase edge - that encodes quantificational information to
close off domain-internal variables.

This derives a V phase, C > v > V (corresponding to the standard vP phase);
a T phase, C > t > T, (the standard CP phase); also an N phase (DP/QP),
C > n > N, where C = D. Treating phases in these terms derives the major
facets of orthodox phase theory, but in a much more elegant, less
stipulative way. Cyclicity, for example, is captured as an expected
property of the system, rather than by the stipulated Phase Impenetrability
Condition of Chomsky (2000).

Evidence for this reinterpretation of phase theory is adduced from:

(1) The interpretation of QPs, treated uniformly like Heim (1982)
indefinites: so any QP introduces a restricted variable, subject to closure
by intra-clausal quantificational heads analogous to Heim's
existential-closure operator.

(2) The structure and interpretation of temporal predicates, T/Perf/Prog,
treated as embedding situation-denoting phases as internal argument, and
introducing a situation variable, closed off by their own CP, as external
argument.

(3) The interpretation and scope behaviour of modality, defined as
quantification over possible situations: syntactically expressed as
CP-/edge-level quantificational heads operating over domain-level situation
variables.




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