Chapter published in:
Boundaries, Phases and Interfaces: Case studies in honor of Violeta Demonte
Edited by Olga Fernández-Soriano, Elena Castroviejo Miró and Isabel Pérez-Jiménez
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 239] 2017
► pp. 196–222

Multiple Wh-Movement in European Spanish

Exploring the role of interface conditions for variation

| Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
In this paper I explore Multiple Wh-Movement (MWM) in European Romance, a syntactic pattern that has been regarded as impossible (all Romance languages but Romanian excluding it; cf. Escandell-Vidal 1999; RAE-ASALE 2009; Chernova 2015, among others). After reviewing some data that qualify this well-known observation, I argue that European Spanish can actually display MWM under specific discourse conditions, some of which have not been previously reported. The paper puts forward an analysis of the facts adopting Richards’ (2010) Distinctiness, a PF condition that requires for X and Y to be morphologically or featurally different (within the same domain) for them to be linearized, a solution that places the relevant parameter in the Syntax → PF wing of the grammar.
Keywords: distinctness, interface conditions, label, multiple wh-movement, parametric variation, phase
Published online: 14 June 2017
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.239.10gal
References

References

Abels, Klaus
2003 Successive Cyclicity, Anti-Locality, and Adposition Stranding. PhD dissertation, University of Connecticut.Google Scholar
Bañeras, Maria
2016 La periferia izquierda de la oración. Bases de una propuesta configuracional. Ms, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.Google Scholar
Belletti, Adriana 2004 Aspects of the low IP area. In The Structure of CP and IP. The Cartography of Syntactic Structures, Vol. 2 Luigi Rizzi (ed.), 16–51. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
Biberauer, Theresa, Holmberg, Anders, Roberts, Ian & Sheehan, Michelle
(eds) 2010 Parametric Variation: Null Subjects in Minimalist Theory. Cambridge: CUP.Google Scholar
Bošković, Željko
2002 A-movement and the EPP. Syntax 5: 167–218. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Brugé, Laura & Cardinaletti, Anna, Giusti, Giuliana, Munaro, Nicola & Poletto, Cecilia
2012 Functional Heads: The Cartography of Syntactic Structures, Vol. 7. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Campos, Héctor
1999 Spanish as a CP/IP absorption language. In Advances in Hispanic Linguistics. Papers from the 2nd Hispanic Linguistics Symposium, Javier Gutiérrez-Rexach & Fernando Martínez Gil (eds), 332–345. Somerville MA: Cascadilla Press.Google Scholar
Cheng, Lisa & Corver, Norbert
2006 Wh-Movement: Moving on. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Chernova, Ekaterina
2015 The Syntax of Wh-Movement in Multiple (True and Echo) Questions: A Q-Based Approach. PhD dissertation, Universitat de Girona.Google Scholar
Chomsky, Noam
1973 Conditions on transformations. In A Festschrift for Morris Halle, Stephen R. Anderson & Paul Kiparsky (eds), 232–286. New York NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.Google Scholar
1977 On wh-movement. In Formal Syntax, Peter W. Culicover, Thomas Wasow & Adrian Akmajian (eds), 71–132. New York NY: Academic Press.Google Scholar
1995 The Minimalist Program. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
2000 Minimalist inquiries: The framework. In Step by Step. Essays on Minimalist Syntax in Honor of Howard Lasnik, Roger Martin, David Michaels, Juan Uriagereka (eds), 89–155. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
2004 Beyond explanatory adequacy. In Structures and Beyond. The Cartography of Syntactic Structures, Vol. 3, Adriana Belletti (ed.), 104–131. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
2010 Some simple evo-devo theses: How true might they be for language? In Alice V. and David H. Morris Symposium on Language and Communication. New York NY: Stony Brook University. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
2013 Problems of projection. Lingua 130: 33–49. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
2015 Problems of projection. Extensions. In Structures, Strategies and Beyond. Studies in Honour of Adriana Belletti [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 223], Elisa di Domenico, Cornelia Hamann & Simona Matteini (eds), 1–16. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Cinque, Guglielmo
1993 A null theory of phrase and compound stress. Linguistic Inquiry 24: 239–298.Google Scholar
1999 Adverbs and Functional Heads. A Cross-linguistic Perspective. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
Colomina, M. Pilar
2016 La distintividad en la sintaxis. El caso de la combinación de clíticos en las lenguas iberorrománicas. MA thesis, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.Google Scholar
Collins, Chris
2002 Eliminating labels. In Derivation and Explanation in the Minimalist Program, Samuel Epstein & T. Daniel Seely (eds), 106–132. Malden MA: Blackwell. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Demirdache, Hamida & Uribe-Etxebarria, Myriam
2002 La grammaire des prédicats spatio-temporels: temps, aspect et adverbes de tems. In Temps et aspect. De la morphologie à l’interprétation, Brenda Laca (ed.), 125–176. Paris: St. Denis Presses Universitaires de Vincennes.Google Scholar
2004 The syntax of time adverbs. In The Syntax of Time, Jacqueline Guéron & Alexander Lecarme (eds), 143–180. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Escandell-Vidal, M. Victoria 1999 Los enunciados interrogativos. Aspectos semánticos y pragmáticos. In Gramática descriptiva de la lengua española, Ignacio Bosque & Violeta Demonte (eds), 33.929–33.991. Madrid: Espasa.Google Scholar
Etxepare, Ricardo & Uribe-Etxebarria, Myriam
2005 Word order in wh-questions. Talk given at the III Workshop on Syntax and Semantics (WoSS III), Université de Nantes 8–9 September.Google Scholar
Gallego, Ángel J.
2009 On freezing effects. Iberia 1: 33–51.Google Scholar
2010 Phase Theory [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 152]. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
2013 Object shift in romance. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 31: 409–451. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
In progress. Prolegomena to a configurational approach to the left periphery. Ms, Centre de Lingüística Teòrica - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
Irurtzun, Aritz
2007 The Grammar of Focus at the Interfaces. PhD dissertation, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea.Google Scholar
Jackendoff, Ray
1977 X-bar Syntax. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
1983 Semantics and Cognition. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Kayne, Ray
1994 The Antisymmetry of Syntax. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Lasnik, Howard
2014 Multiple sluicing in english? Syntax 17: 1–20. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Lasnik, Howard & Saito, Mamoru
1992 Move a: Conditions on Its Applications and Outputs. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Leonetti, Manuel
2004 Specificity and differential object marking in Spanish. Catalan Journal of Linguistics 3: 75–114.Google Scholar
López, Luis
2009 A Derivational Syntax for Information Structure. Oxford: OUP. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
2012 Indefinite Objects. Scrambling, Choice Functions, and Differential Marking. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Mateu, Jaume
2002 Argument Structure: Relational Construal at the Syntax-Semantics Interface. PhD dissertation, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. http://​hdl​.handle​.net​/10803​/4828 Google Scholar
2012 Conflation and incorporation processes in resultative constructions. In Telicity, Change, and State: A Cross-Categorial View of Event Structure, Violeta Demonte & Louise McNally (eds), 252–278. Oxford: OUP. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Ordóñez, Francisco
1997 Word Order and Clause Structure in Spanish and Other Romance Languages. PhD dissertation, The City University of New York.Google Scholar
Poletto, Cecilia
2000 The Higher Functional Field in the Northern Italian Dialects. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
RAE-ASALE (Real Academia Española)
2009–2011 Nueva gramática de la lengua española. Madrid: Espasa.Google Scholar
Raposo, Eduardo & Uriagereka, Juan
2005 Clitic placement in Western Iberian: A minimalist view. In The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Syntax, Guglielmo Cinque & Richard S. Kayne (eds), 639–697. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
Richards, Norvin
1997 What Moves Where When in Which Language? PhD dissertation, MIT.Google Scholar
2001 Movement in Language. Interactions and Architectures. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
2010 Uttering Trees. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
van Riemsdijk, Henk
2008 Identity avoidance: OCP-effects in Swiss relatives. In Foundational Issues in Linguistic Theory, Robert Freidin, Carlos P. Otero & M. Luisa Zubizarreta (eds), 227–250. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Rizzi, Luigi 1982 Issues in Italian Syntax. Dordrecht: Foris. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
1990 Relativized Minimality. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
1997 The fine structure of the left periphery. In Elements of Grammar. Handbook in Generative Syntax, Liliane Haegeman (ed.), 281–337. Dordrecht: Kluwer.Google Scholar
2004 Locality and left periphery. In Structures and Beyond. The Cartography of Syntactic Structures, Vol. 3, Adriana Belletti (ed.), 223–251. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
2006 On the form of chains: Criterial positions and ECP effects. In Wh-Movement: Moving on, Lisa Lai-Shen Cheng & Norbert Corver (eds), 97–133. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Rodrigues, Cilene, Nevins, Andrew & Vicente, Luis
2009 Cleaving the interactions between sluicing and preposition stranding. In Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2006. Selected papers from 'Going Romance', Amsterdam, 7–9 December 2006 [Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 303], Danièle Torck & Leo Wetzels (eds), 175–198. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Rudin, Catherine
1988 On multiple questions and multiple wh-fronting. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 6: 445–501. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Suñer, Margarita
1994 V-Movement and the licensing of argumental wh-phrases in Spanish. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 12: 335–372. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Svenonius, P.
2007 Adpositions, particles, and the arguments they introduce. In Argument Structure [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 108], Eric J. Reuland, Tanmoy Bhattacharya & Giorgos Spathas (eds), 63–103. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Svenonius, Peter
2008 Projections of P. In Syntax and Semantics of Spatial P [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 120], Anna Asbury, Jakub Dotlačil, Berit Gehrke & Rick Nouwen (eds), 63–84. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Svenonius, Peter & Son, Minjeong
2008 Microparameters of cross-linguistic variation: Directed motion and resultatives. In Proceedings of the 27th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics, Natasha Abner & Jason Bishop (eds), 388–396. Somerville MA: Cascadilla Press.Google Scholar
Torrego, Esther
1984 On inversion in Spanish and some of its effects. Linguistic Inquiry 15: 103–129.Google Scholar
1998 The Dependencies of Objects. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Uriagereka, Juan
1988 On Government. PhD dissertation, University of Connecticut.Google Scholar
1995 An F position in Western Romance. In Discourse Configurational Languages, Katalin É. Kiss (ed.), 153–175. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
2005 A markovian syntax for adjuncts. Talk given at the CLT Seminar, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, June 6.Google Scholar
Zubizarreta, Maria Luisa
1998 Prosody, Focus, and Word Order. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar