Flashcards on Movement Theory in English Syntax
Movement Theory in English Syntax: Ultimate Student Guide
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Syntactic movement
26 cards
Card 1
Question: What problem with X-bar theory motivated movement theory (transformations)?
Answer: X-bar theory under-generates: it does not produce all possible grammatical sentences, so movement (transformations) are used to account for additional
Card 2
Question: What are the two kinds of rules distinguished in movement theory and what do they do?
Answer: Movement rules move existing items/phrases around (e.g., forming questions), while insertion/adjunction rules incorporate new material into the senten
Card 3
Question: In movement theory, what are traces and chains?
Answer: Traces are residues left by moved constituents; a chain is the relation between the moved antecedent and its trace(es), linking base position(s) and l
Card 4
Question: What is meant by base position and landing site in movement?
Answer: Base position is where a constituent is originally generated (receives theta-role); the landing site is the position it occupies after movement (where
Card 5
Question: How does co-indexation function in movement analysis, and how can it be ambiguous?
Answer: Co-indexation links a moved antecedent to its trace, signaling a movement chain; however, identical co-indexation can also indicate simple co-referenc
Card 6
Question: What is cyclic (intermediate) movement?
Answer: Movement that proceeds through intermediate positions, leaving intermediate traces, rather than jumping directly from base position to final landing s
Card 7
Question: Give the two broad motivations/types for movement described in the handout.
Answer: (1) Movement driven by syntactic needs (e.g., case assignment, feature matching). (2) Movement driven by information-structural needs like focalizatio
Card 8
Question: Provide an example of movement driven by syntactic needs and explain why movement occurs.
Answer: Example: wh-movement in 'I know the man whom she will meet.' The wh-constituent is moved out of its base position to receive an adequate interpretatio
Card 9
Question: Provide examples of movement driven by focalization or emphasis.
Answer: Examples: clefting 'It is John and Diane who work in a factory', pseudo-clefting 'What John and Diane do is work in a factory', fronting 'Beans, I don
Card 10
Question: What is the case filter and how does it motivate DP movement?
Answer: The case filter requires that DPs receive case; a caseless DP must move to a position where it can get case. This causes DPs to be displaced from thei