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On the Internal Structure of Spanish Verbless Clauses Dissertation On the Internal Structure of Spanish Verbless Clauses Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Melvin González-Rivera, B.A., M.A. Graduate Program in Spanish and Portuguese The Ohio State University 2011 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Javier Gutiérrez-Rexach, “Advisor” Dr. John Grinstead Dr. Fernando Martínez-Gil Copyright by Melvin González-Rivera 2011 Abstract In this dissertation I discuss several aspects of the syntax, semantics and discourse properties of what I call Spanish verbless clauses -i.e. non-finite utterances with clausal properties: Spanish PredNP muy listo este tío ‘very intelligent this guy’, Spanish PP complement clause me sorprende lo caro del piso ‘it amazes me how expensive this apartment is’, and Spanish Qualitative Binominal Noun Phases (QBNPs): comparative QBNP el tonto del alcalde ‘the idiot of the mayor’ and attributive QBNP un tonto de alcalde ‘an idiot of a mayor’. In each of these clauses there is a subject-predicate relationship. The analysis advanced here is that Spanish PredNP, PP complement clauses and comparative QBNP can be analyzed in terms of predicate inversion. Movement of the predicate in each case is due to a strong semantic feature [+X] that needs to be discharged in the course of the syntactic derivation. It is argued that in Spanish PredNP the strong feature evaluativity [+E] is responsible for predicate inversion, while in PP complement clauses and comparative QBNP the strong feature gradability [+G] triggers movement of the predicate over its subject. In addition, it is argued that a copula or RELATOR lies between the understood subject and predicate of the clauses under analysis. In PP complement clauses and comparative QBNP this RELATOR is the nominal copula de ‘of’, which is a meaningless element whose presence in the structure is forced by syntactic constraints. In Spanish PredNP the RELATOR is not empty -i.e. it accommodates the tense feature. This proposal is ii based on an insight by Benmamoun (2008), who has argued that tense is universally projected even though it does not need to co-occur with a verbal head. The syntactic analysis of attributive QBNP, on the other hand, is different from the previous analysis -i.e. these clauses do not involve predicate inversion. If syntax determines semantics and syntax-semantics interface is a function from syntax (Pollard 2006), then the most natural hypothesis is to assume that the syntax of comparative and attributive QBNPs is different, given that the interpretation of both clauses is not the same. The syntactic analysis developed here is couched within a Generalized Minimalist Grammar (GMG), as developed by Gutiérrez-Rexach (1997, 1998). The rationale for a generalized minimalist grammar analysis lies on the assumption that this grammar provides logical formulation to current generativist grammar (e.g. Chomsky 1993, 1995, 2000, 2001; and other authors). In other words, GMG formalizes minimalist ideas. This is by no means a unique enterprise. Lecomte (2005, 2008), for example, seeks a categorial embodiment of Chomsky’s minimalist ideas in what he calls Categorial-Minimalist Grammars (CMGs). The goal of such approaches (i.e. GMG, CMGs, etc.) is to emphasize the role played by the lexicon and by very general operations, like e.g. Merge and Move in the minimalist framework, or Application and Abstraction in Categorial Grammars (Lecomte 2005). iii Dedication Dedicado a mis padres, Johnny González Báez y Carmen L. Rivera Cruz. iv Acknowledgments I wish to thank my academic adviser Javier Gutiérrez-Rexach for EVERYTHING: his insightful comments, patience, extraordinary help, guidance, intellectual advice, friendship, great conversations, cookies and many other etceteras… I cannot imagine having a better advisor. Gracias Javier. I also want to thank the other members of my dissertation defense committee John Grinstead and Fernando Martínez-Gil for their patience, generosity, and for discussing with me various aspects of the dissertation that greatly helped me to improve the final document; and professors Dieter Wanner and Carl Pollard for their help and all the knowledge I gained from their classes and advice over these years at The Ohio State University. To all my friends here in the US, Puerto Rico and elsewhere: Luis Canting, Abdil Javish, Luis Ortiz, Dimaris Barrios, Luis González, Alma Kulhemann, Michaele Dosier, Manuel Delicado, Lorena (Lore) Andueza, Pilar (Pili) Chamorro, Daniela (Dani) Salcedo and Don O’ Lone; Thanks!!! v Y a mi familia: mis padres Johnny y Carmen, mis abuelos Carmelo y Josefina, mi hermano Johnny, mis sobrinas Génesis del Mar y Cristina del Mar y mi sobrino Alejandro Sebastian, y mi cuñada Verónica; mi eterno e infinito agradecimiento. Hasta aquí llegó el barco, se los prometo… vi Vita 2000.........................................................................B.A. Hispanic Studies, University of Puerto Rico 2005.........................................................................M.A. Linguistics, University of Puerto Rico 2005-2009...............................................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, The Ohio State University 2009-2010...............................................................Visiting Lecturer, Graduate Program in Linguistics, University of Puerto Rico 2010 to present .....................................................Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Spanish, The College of Wooster Fields of Study Major Field: Spanish and Portuguese vii Table of Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………….ii Dedication…………………………………………………………………………………iv Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………………….v Vita………………………………………………………………………………………..vii Table of contents…………………………………………………………………………viii Chapter 1: Introduction…………………………………………………………….………1 1.1. The objective of this dissertation………………………………………………5 1.1.1 Purpose……….....……………………………………………………5 1.1.2 Outline……………………………………………………………..…9 Chapter 2: Theoretical Framework………………………………………...………………13 2.1. Introduction………………………………………………………..…………13 2.2. Generalizing Minimalist Grammars…………………………………...………14 2.2.1 Merge…………………………………………………………..……16 2.2.2 Move……………………………………………………………...…18 2.3. Semantics in Generalized Minimalist Grammars……………………………...24 Chapter 3: Predication…………………………………………………………………….30 3.1. Introduction…………………………………………………………..………30 viii 3.2. Predication……………………………………………………………………32 3.2.1 Pre-Fregean predication theories………………………………….…32 3.2.1.1 Plato’s theory of predication……………………….………33 3.2.1.2 Aristotle’s theory of predication…………………...………33 3.2.1.3 Leibniz’s theory of predication……………….……………34 3.2.1.4 Summary……………………………………..……………34 3.2.2 Post-Fregean predication theories…………………...………………35 3.2.2.1 Frege’s theory of predication………………………………35 3.2.2.1.1 The calculus of saturation…………………..……35 3.2.2.2 Tarski……………………………………………...………37 3.2.2.3 Frege-Tarski………………………………………….……37 3.2.3 Summary…………………………………………………….………38 3.3. Types of predicates……………………………………………………...……39 3.3.1 The i-level and s-level distinction……………………………………40 3.3.1.1 i-level and s-level predicates: Previous accounts…………...43 3.3.1.1.1 Milsark (1974)……………………………………44 3.3.1.1.2 Carlson (1977)…………………………………...45 3.3.1.1.3 Diesing (1992)…………………………………...47 3.3.1.1.4 Kratzer (1989/1995)…………………………….50 3.3.1.1.5 Chierchia (1995)…………………………………52 3.3.1.2 Summary……….…….……………………………………54 3.3.2 i-level / s-level predicates in Spanish……………………………...…54 3.3.2.1 s-level predicates and pseudo-copular verbs in Spanish……55 ix 3.3.2.1.1 Ir, venir, andar………………………………...…56 3.3.2.1.2 Llevar, quedarse……………………………….…56 3.3.2.1.3 Continuar, seguir……………………………...…57 3.3.2.1.4 Parecer, permanecer, mantenerse, hallarse, encontrase………………………………………...57 3.3.2.2 i-level / s-level predicates and the Spanish copular variation: ser and estar……………………………………………………...…58 3.3.2.2.1 The ser/estar paradox…………………………..…61 3.4. Predication and the copula……………………………………………………62 3.4.1 The nature of the copula in the philosophical tradition………...……62 3.4.1.1 Aristotle and the medieval tradition…………………..……62 3.4.1.2 Frege and copular constructions…………………...………63 3.4.2 The nature of the copula in the linguistic tradition………………...…66 3.4.3 Taxonomy of copular clauses………………………………..………68 3.4.3.1 Equitative clause…………………………………...………69 3.4.3.2 Specificational clause……………………………..………...69 3.4.3.3 Identificational clause…………………………...…………69 3.4.3.4 Predicational clause………………………………..……….70 3.4.4 Partee’s theory of noun phrase interpretation………………..………70 3.4.4.1 Generalized quantifier…………………………...…………70 3.4.4.2 Referential…………………………………..……………..71 3.4.4.3 Predicative…………………………………………………71 3.5. Summary…………………………………………………………………...…72 x Chapter 4: Copula and copula-less clauses………………………………………...………73 4.1. Introduction………………………………………………………………..…73 4.2. Syntactic derivation of copular clauses……………………………………...…74 4.2.1 Small clauses……………………………………………………...…75 4.2.1.1 Symmetric small clause…………………………………….77 4.2.1.1.1 Heggie (1988a, 1988b, 1989)…………………..…78 4.2.1.1.2 Moro (1991, 1997, 2000)…………………………80 4.2.1.1.3 Rothstein (2001)…………………………………82 4.2.1.1.4 Breaking the symmetry………………………...…83 4.2.1.2 Asymmetric small clause………………………………...…85 4.2.1.2.1 Bowers (1993, 2001)…………………………..…85 4.2.1.2.2 Adger and Ramchand (2003)…………………..…86 4.2.1.2.3 den Dikken (2006)……………………………….87 4.2.1.2.4 Citko (2008)………………………..………….…89 4.2.1.3 Summary………………………………………………..…91 4.3. Verbless clauses………………………………………………………………92
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