Syntax Lecture 7 The syntax of nonfinite clauses

Syntax Lecture 7: The syntax of non-finite clauses – Part 2

Types of Infinitival Clauses (recap) • There are three types of infinitive in English: 1. Mary tried [to avoid John] 2. Bill seemed [to like Mary] 3. John wants [Mary to meet him]

Types of Infinitival Clauses (recap) • There are three types of infinitive in English: 1. Mary tried [PRO to avoid John] 2. Bill seemed [to like Mary] 3. John wants [Mary to meet him] Control

Types of Infinitival Clauses (recap) • There are three types of infinitive in English: 1. Mary tried [PRO to avoid John] 2. -- seemed [Bill to like Mary] 3. John wants [Mary to meet him] Control

Types of Infinitival Clauses (recap) • There are three types of infinitive in English: 1. Mary tried [PRO to avoid John] 2. Bill seemed [Bill to like Mary] 3. John wants [Mary to meet him] Control Raising

Types of Infinitival Clauses (recap) • There are three types of infinitive in English: 1. Mary tried [PRO to avoid John] 2. Bill seemed [Bill to like Mary] 3. John wants [Mary to meet him] Control Raising Exceptional

Why are exceptional clauses exceptional? • They have overt subjects – Other English non-finite clauses don’t – Non-finite clauses in most languages have covert subjects (PRO) • A pronoun in this subject position has an accusative form (like an object), not nominative (the usual form of the subject): – I expect [him to be on time] – I expect [he will be on time]

Isn’t this ‘subject’ an object then? • We can see that the accusative pronoun is the subject of the exceptional clause (not the object of the higher verb) if we compare the following: – I expect him to be on time – I promised him to be on time • The second sentence is a case of control – I promised him [PRO to be on time] • The subject of ‘promise’ controls the PRO subject

The difference between control and exceptional clauses Control Exceptional I promised him [PRO to be on time] I expect [him to be on time] • There are 3 arguments of promise • There are 2 arguments of expect – The one who makes the promise – The one given the promise – What is promised • Him is not part of what is promised • The complement of promise is not a single clause – I promised [he will be on time] • In this case there is an object and a clause following the verb – I promised [him] [I would be on time] – The one who expects – What is expected • Him is part of what is expected • The complement of expect is a single clause – = I expect [he will be on time] • There is only a clause and no object following the verb – * I expect [him] [he will be on time]

The accusative subject of the exceptional clause • We find accusative pronouns in object position or object of a preposition: – Mary saw him (*he) – Bill spoke to her (*she) • Infinitives in subject position have two possibilities: – [PRO to stay longer] would be considered rude – [for you to stay longer] would be considered rude – * [for PRO to stay longer] would be considered rude

The accusative subject of the exceptional clause • We might say that the subject of an infinitive is not (usually) an accusative position • It is obviously not an nominative position • So it doesn’t seem to be any kind of Case position (neither nominative, nor accusative) – This is why PRO can appear there • PRO is neither nominative nor accusative • So where does accusative case come from in exceptional clauses?

The accusative subject of the exceptional clause • The fact that the complementiser is necessary with an accusative subject for a subject infinitive, indicates that the complementiser is responsible for the accusative • This complementisers is like a preposition – Prepositions give accusative case to their complement pronouns • to him

What when the infinitive is not in subject position? • With complement exceptional clauses, the complementiser is not usually possible: – I expect [(*for) him to attend] – I believe [(*for) her to be rich] • Exceptional clauses can only be the complement of certain verbs – I believeexpectwant [her to be smart] – * I hopetriedhavemanage [her to be smart] – * it seems [her to be smart]

What when the infinitive is not in subject position? • This suggests that it is the external verb which assigns the accusative case – Verbs give accusative case to their objects • see her • Verbs which can do this are called exceptional verbs

Why can exceptional verbs assign accusative to the subject of their complement? • Not all verbs which can assign accusative to their objects are exceptional verbs: – The committee agreed them (the minutes) agree can take a non-finite clause – I agreed [PRO to leave] complement with a PRO subject But it cannot assign a case to the – * I agreed [him to leave] subject of this clause – I agreed [for him to leave] it needs the for complementiser to do this • What makes exceptional verbs different?

Why can exceptional verbs assign accusative to the subject of their complement? • Exceptional verbs never appear with a for complementiser: – * I believe [for her to be rich] • The complementiser can appear if the clause is finite: – I believe [that she is rich] • But if the non-finite complement clause is a CP, why can it not have a complementiser?

Why can exceptional verbs assign accusative to the subject of their complement? • It has been suggested that the property that allows exceptional verbs to assign case to the subject of their complement is exactly the reason the complementiser cannot appear: – Exceptional verbs take IP non -finite complements

Why can exceptional verbs assign accusative to the subject of their complement? • From this point of view, CP blocks a verb from assigning accusative case to a subject.

Why can exceptional verbs assign accusative to the subject of their complement? • This is a good thing as it also prevents a verb from assigning case to the subject of its finite complement

A surprising finding • It is not just accusative pronouns that cannot appear in non-finite clause subject positions that case is not assigned to: – [PRO to be good] is difficult – * [him/John to be good] is difficult – [for him/John to be good] is difficult – I hoped [PRO to be early] – * I hoped [her/Mary to be early] – I hoped [for her/Mary to be early]

The Case Filter • All overt DPs must be in positions to which Case is assigned

Why raising happens • When a raising verb has a finite clause complement, there is no raising • When a raising verb has a non-finite clause complement, there must be raising: – It seems [John is happy] – John seems [John to be happy] – * it seems [John to be happy] • We can understand this in terms of the Case filter if we assume raising verbs are not exceptional verbs – They can’t assign case to the infinitival complement

Why raising happens • It seems [John is happy] – Subject of a finite clause is nominative – Case Filter satisfied • John seems [John to be happy] – Subject of non-finite clause is not a case position, but it moves to the subject of a finite clause – Case Filter satisfied • * it seems [John to be happy] – Subject of non-finite clause is not a case position and it doesn’t move – Case Filter violated = ungrammatical

Why subjects move out of VP • The same story: – The specifier of VP is not a case position – If a subject were to stay there it would violate the Case Filter – If it moves to the specifier of IP it will get case and satisfy the Case Filter

Case Filter Violated Satisfied DP Moves to specifier of IP Specifier of IP is nominative No case to specifier of VP Verb assigns accusative to object

Conclusion • Exceptional clauses – Are complements of exceptional verbs (believe, expect, etc. ) – Have accusative subjects (assigned by the exceptional verb) – Are IPs not CPs • The Case Filter – Rules out any overt DP not in a case position (not PRO) – Causes DPs to move out of caseless positions into case positions