Journal | Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie occidentale
Journal issue | 58 | 2024
Research Article | Complementizer Deletion in Spanish
Complementizer Deletion in Spanish
Revisiting the Empirical Evidence
Abstract
Complementizer Deletion (CD) in Spanish is allowed with an emotional selecting verb and an irrealis embedded verb. No XPs can occupy the preverbal embedded position. The traditional accounts divided into two opposite strands: one argues that que-less clauses are IP structures, the other defends the presence of a C-layer and assumes that CD constitutes the alternative checker of the overt complementizer, thus requiring the verb movement to C° to check the relevant features. This article builds on the assumption that the CP is projected when the complementizer is omitted but proposes that no verb movement takes place. Empirical evidence based on the order of the embedded verb, subjects and adverbs will be provided to show that the inflected verb remains in a low position. The data, which are taken from two corpora of Spanish language, will also testify a wider production of CD beyond verbs of emotion. The analysis is framed within the Cartographic Approach.
Submitted: April 10, 2024 | Accepted: May 12, 2024 | Published Sept. 30, 2024 | Language: en
Keywords Complementizer Deletion • Verb Movement • Complementizer Phrase • Empty CP • European Spanish
Copyright © 2024 Clarissa Facchin. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/AnnOc/2499-1562/2024/12/014
