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Linguistic Variation: Online-First Articles

Passive without morphology

A case for implicit arguments

ORCID logo | University of Ghana

This paper examines the syntax of a novel construction I call Passive without Morphology (PwM) constructions in Bùlì and the question of whether they have projected external arguments. The main proposal that I argue for is that PwM constructions in all their occurrences possess projected implicit external arguments. The discussions presented in the paper provide empirical as well as theoretical support for the classification of passives (Keenan and Dryer 2007) and a theory of passives and implicit arguments (Collins 2021). This paper argues that the internal argument moves to Spec,TP in two steps: first, the VP moves into Spec, VoiceP and from there the internal argument raises to Spec,TP (Collins 2005, 2021).

Keywords: Bùlì, implicit argument, movement, short passive, smuggling, syntax
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Properties of passive without morphology
  • 3.Diagnosing the external argument
    • 3.1Binding conditions A and B
    • 3.2Control into purpose clauses
    • 3.3Secondary predicates
    • 3.4Entailment and dek
  • 4.Feature specification of the implicit argument
  • 5.Analyzing PwM constructions
    • 5.1Collins on implicit arguments
    • 5.2Analysis of PwM constructions: The implicit argument
    • 5.3Analysis of PwM constructions: The internal argument
  • 6.Alternative analyses: DMA and leapfroging
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 29 April 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/lv.23047.sul
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