Tense features and argument structure in Capeverdean predicates Doctoral dissertation presented to Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas Universidade Nova de Lisboa Author: Fernanda Pratas Supervisor: João Costa Finished: December 2006 Defended: May 2007 Juri: Michel DeGraff (MIT), Inês Duarte (Universidade de Lisboa), Clara Nunes Correia, João Costa, Maria Lobo, Ana Madeira, Isabel Tomás and Maria Francisca Xavier (UNL). Table of contents Acknowledgments.............................................................. Erro! Marcador não definido. Chapter one Introduction – what’s in a verb?................................................................1 1.1 Goals .......................................................................................................................... 2 1.1.1 Previous problems and present questions..............................................................................2 1.1.2 Summary of questions ...........................................................................................................7 1.2 Framework................................................................................................................ 9 1.2.1 Some notes on Government & Binding...............................................................................11 1.2.2 Some notes on Minimalism.................................................................................................12 1.2.3 A somewhat intertwined perspective...................................................................................14 1.3 Creole or Capeverdean? “The name of the rose”................................................ 17 1.4 Practical issues on the field.................................................................................... 20 1.5 Contents description............................................................................................... 28 Chapter two Sentence structure.....................................................................................30 2.1 Why not an AgrP node........................................................................................... 31 2.2 Are adverbs reliable diagnostics? ......................................................................... 33 2.2.1 Capeverdean restrictions .....................................................................................................34 2.2.2 Meaning, prosodic weight, lexical specifications and categorial status ..............................36 2.3 TMAs and other functional units.......................................................................... 39 2.3.1 The true value of Aspect......................................................................................................45 2.3.1.1 Temporal perspective(s): facts for a compositional approach ............................46 2.3.1.2 Meaning and structure........................................................................................59 2.3.2 Capeverdean TMAs: what tense is it? .................................................................................61 2.3.2.1 Ta, sata and the post-verbal -ba .........................................................................63 2.3.2.2 More on sta and sata ..........................................................................................86 2.3.2.3 On statives versus non-statives...........................................................................97 2.3.2.4 The puzzling distribution of dja .......................................................................107 2.3.2.5 Some structural clues regarding dja .................................................................121 2.3.2.6 Concluding remarks on TMAs .........................................................................122 i 2.3.3 Negation: ka and the copula e/era .....................................................................................123 2.4 A minimal clause architecture: just what we need............................................ 129 2.4.1 The Split ,TP parameter and the position of subject clitics ...............................................131 2.4.2 Capeverdean TP: an almighty projection?.........................................................................143 2.4.2.1 Capeverdean T and the -ba problem.................................................................146 2.4.2.2 Capeverdean T and the dja-clitic problem........................................................150 2.5 Conclusion............................................................................................................. 153 Chapter three Morphology versus abstract features....................................................155 3.1 The licensing of DPs: a Case and agreement matter?....................................... 157 3.1.1 Agreement and Case studies..............................................................................................159 3.1.1.1 From government to Agree ..............................................................................160 3.1.1.2 Direct Objects and Accusative Case.................................................................164 3.1.1.3 A critical view: agreement is not abstract.........................................................167 3.1.2 Subjects and Nominative Case ..........................................................................................172 3.1.3 Capeverdean arguments: the syntax-phonology interface .................................................182 3.2 Verb movement..................................................................................................... 190 3.2.1 Motivations for V-to-I .......................................................................................................191 3.2.2 Classical diagnostics..........................................................................................................193 3.2.2.1 Floating quantifiers...........................................................................................194 3.2.2.2 Adverbs ............................................................................................................196 3.2.3 The -ba problem, again......................................................................................................198 3.3 Conclusion............................................................................................................. 202 Chapter four Internal arguments..................................................................................204 4.1 Objects: clitics vs. free forms............................................................................... 205 4.1.1 The problem ......................................................................................................................206 4.1.2 On previous approaches ....................................................................................................208 4.1.3 Stress matters.....................................................................................................................212 4.1.3.1 Some morpho-phonological features in Capeverdean......................................212 4.1.3.2 Between a rule and a constraint........................................................................213 4.2 Identified moving subjects? Some reflexive contexts ........................................ 218 4.2.1 Plausible analyses..............................................................................................................219 4.2.1.1 Where European Portuguese has se..................................................................221 ii 4.2.1.2 Theta-roles and structural Case ........................................................................224 4.2.2 A question of passivity ......................................................................................................230 4.3 DOCs versus to-datives ........................................................................................ 240 4.3.1 Capeverdean puzzle...........................................................................................................240 4.3.2 Previous proposals.............................................................................................................242 4.3.3 Our proposal......................................................................................................................246 4.3.4 Some new arrangements....................................................................................................249 4.4 Conclusion............................................................................................................. 253 Chapter Five Null subjects in finite clauses .................................................................254 5.1 Capeverdean: it depends...................................................................................... 256 5.1.1 Matrix clauses....................................................................................................................256 5.1.2 Some dependency contexts................................................................................................261 5.2 The null subject parameter.................................................................................. 267 5.3 The special case of null expletives ....................................................................... 275 5.3.1 When no subject is there....................................................................................................275 5.3.2 The EPP: a stone in the shoe .............................................................................................283