DP (A) Movement

Predicate is likely

1. Auxiliary is is generated in V, and moved to the T

2. The AdjP is a complement of this verb

3. Typically take the CP complement

DP Movement/ A (argument) Movement

1. Move DP to the specifier position

2. Nominative case is assigned at the SPEC TP

3. Case cannot be assigned in the embedded clause!

4. DP moves to TP to satisfy EPP

Multiple Auxiliaries

1. Auxiliaries can follow negation and adverbs BUT MODALS CANNOT (provide information about speaker’s intention, ability,obligation…)

2. Verb Movement Parameter - tensed auxiliaries raise to T and T lowers to tensed main verbs

The Case Filter

All DPs must be marked with Case.

Affix-hoping

1. Basically, like affix-lowering

2. When a verb follows a modal, it takes an infinitive

3. When a verb follows an auxiliary “have”, it takes past participle (perfective)

4. When the action is on-going, the verb takes progressive/gerund form

5. When we have a Passive, we use be + past participle

Passives

1. A particular verb form where the external argument (often the agent or experiencer) is suppressed and the theme appears in subject position.

2. The movement of the theme is also an instance of DP movement

3. Passives have 1 theta roles = theme (it must appear in the complement of V’

4. We do not use little v with them

Burzio’s Generalisation

The idea that if a verb does not assign an external argument (i.e., is passive or unaccusative = inherently a passive verb like to arrive), then it can’t assign accusative case.

Unergatives

1. Verbs that lack objects, show some voluntary actions

2. Examples: to run, to cry, to sleep, to laugh, to resign

3. Take fake reflexives (cannot be bound sometimes semantically = John coughed himself silly. Himself is not bound to John)

4. Cognate object - the object that semantically mirrors the verb (John laughed a laugh.)

Unaccusatives

1. Verbs that lack subjects (not an agent), involuntary actions

2. Examples: to arrive, to die, to fall, to break

3. Do not need a little v; they assign all their theta-roles within VP

4. Take either theme or patient theta roles

5. State verbs assign theme/ action verbs assign patient

Lexical Causativation

1. Morphological or lexical process where a non-causative verb is transformed into a causative verb, indicating that the subject causes someone/something to perform an action or undergo a change

2. The case broke = He broke the vase.

3. Works with unaccusative verbs (Unergatives van only take little v once, there cannot be multiple external arguments)

Ablaut

1. A morphological process where a vowel in the verb stem changes to mark grammatical meaning (e.g., tense, transitivity). Example: fall (intransitive) → fell (transitive)

2. In this case we would have a little silent v head for the unaccusative!

Empty Category Principle (ECP)

An empty category must be licensed

Past participle morphology

1. Associated with AspP

2. Aspect specifies the way the event is looked at

3. Asp do not assign external argument (it usually assigns a theme role)

4. Have can assign passive morphology (it gives an agent theta-role)

5. unlike the copula (be), the auxiliary have of transitive and unergative perfects is more than a ‘support morpheme’ – hence, unlike the copula, it usually cannot be omitted, not even in tenseless contexts

6. with ergative/unaccusative verbs such as go/arrive/depart, the auxiliary have can be omitted in tenseless contexts – which confirms that this haveis in fact more like be: purely a support morpheme