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Locality in Syntactic Dependencies 

(with Anke Himmelreich)

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Mondays 11.15-12.45, SR H1 5.16, Beethovenstraße 15

Locality is a fundamental building block of syntactic relations. The goal of this course is to investigate phenomena that are traditionally considered to be strictly local in syntax, in comparison to those that lie outside the limits (upper and lower) of such locality. As such, we will investigate empirical phenomena that bear on the following questions:

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  • In what ways is locality understood and formalized within a Minimalist framework (e.g. barriers, phases, or even selection-driven Merge)?

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  • What types of phenomena lie outside the limits of locality, and how can these be understood in local terms?:​​

    • ​empirical phenomena that lie above the upper limits of locality: involving elements thatare too far away (long-distance effects)?​

    • empirical phenomena that lie below the lower limits of locality: involving elements that are too close together (anti-locality effects).

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What we've always wondered about locality

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Required Readings: ​
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  • ​Abe, Jun (2018): "Late Merge and Phases for Anti-C-Command Requirements",Syntax 21(2), 91–111.
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  • Alexiadou, Artemis, Elena Anagnostopoulou, and Susi Wurmbrand (2014): "Movement vs. long distance Agree in raising: Disappearing phases and feature valuation". In: Proceedings of the North Eastern Linguistics Society Annual Meeting 43 (NELS 43), ed. by Hsin-Lun Huang, Ethan Poole and Amanda Rysling, 1-12. Amherst: University of Massachusetts, GLSA.
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  • Arregi, Karlos & Emily Hanink (To Appear). "Switch reference in Washo as multiple subject agreement". In Proceedings of NELS 48. 
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  • Bhatt, Rajesh (2005): "Long distance agreement in Hindi-Urdu", Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 23, 75–807.
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  • Chomsky, Noam (2000): Minimalist Inquiries: The Framework. In: R. Martin, D. Michaels and J. Uriagereka, eds, Step by Step. Papers in Minimalist Syntax in Honor of Howard Lasnik. MIT Press, Cambridge, chapter 3, pp. 89–155.​
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  • Deal, Amy Rose. 2017. Covert hyperraising to object. Proceedings of NELS 47. Eds. Andrew Lamont & Katerina Tetzloff. 
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  • Grohmann, Kleanthes (2011): "Anti-Locality: Too-Close Relations in Grammar". In:C. Boeckx, ed., The Oxford Handbook of Linguistic Minimalism. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 260–290.
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  • Heck, Fabian & Anke Himmelreich (2017): "Opaque Intervention". Linguistic Inquiry 48: 47-97. ​
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  • Kalin, Laura (To Appear): "Opacity in Agreement". Agreement in Minimalism. Open Generative Syntax. 
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  • Lahne, Antje (2009): Where there is fire, there is smoke. Local Modelling of Successive-Cyclic Movement. Doctoral Dissertation. University of Leipzig. ​​
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  • McFadden, Thomas (2009). "Structural case, locality and cyclicity". Explorations of phase theory: Features and arguments: 107-130. Ed: Kleanthes Grohmann. De Gruyter, Mouton. 
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  • Müller, Gereon (2009): "Optimality-Theoretic Syntax". Ms., Leipzig University; Script for Comparing Frameworks, Utrecht Institute of Linguistics (OTS), September 24- 26, 2009.​
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  • Puškar, Zorica (To Appear): "Interactions of gender and number agreement: Evidence from Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian". Syntax.
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  • Reuland, Eric (2001). "Primitives of Binding". Linguistic Inquiry 32: 439-492.
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Additional Readings:​​​​​​​​
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  • Béjar, Susana, and Milan Rezac (2009): "Cyclic Agree." Linguistic Inquiry 40.1: 35-73.
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  • ​​Belletti, Adriana (2018): "Locality in Syntax", Linguistics.
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  • Börjesson, Kristin and Gereon Müller (2017): "Long-Distance Agreement and Locality: A Reprojection Approach". Ms. Universität Leipzig. To appear in Katharina Hartmann, Johannes Mursell & Peter Smith (eds.), Agreement in Minimalism. Language Science Press: Open Generative Syntax.
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  • Corver, Norbert (2017): "Freezing Effects". In: The Blackwell Companion to Syntax. Wiley.
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  • ​Dikken, Marcel den (2007): "Phase Extension: Contours of a theory of the role of head movement in phrasal extraction", Theoretical Linguistics 33(1), 1–41.
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  • Erlewine, Michael Yoshitaka, 2016. “Anti-locality and optimality in Kaqchikel Agent Focus.” Natural Language & Linguistic Theory 34:2, pages 429–479.
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  • Halpert, Claire (To Appear): "Raising, unphased". Natural Language and Linguistic Theory. 
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  • Keine, Stefan (2016): Probes and their Horizons. Doctoral Dissertation. University of Massachusetts, Amherst. 
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  • Manzini, Maria Rita (1992): Locality: A Theory and Some of Its Empirical Consequences. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
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  • Marantz, A. (1995): "The minimalist program". In G. Webelhuth (Ed.), The principles and parameters approach to linguistic theory: 351-382. Oxford: Blackwell.
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  • Müller, Stefan (2007): Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar: Eine Einführung. Vol. 17 of Stauffenburg Einführungen, Stauffenburg Verlag.
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  • Polinsky, Maria & Eric Potsdam (2001). "Long-distance agreement and topic in Tsez". Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 19: 583-646.
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  • Phillips, Colin (2014): "On the Nature of Island Constraints I: Language Processing and Reductionist Accounts". In: J. Sprouse and N. Hornstein, eds, Experimental syntax and island effects. Cambridge University Press, pp. 64–108.
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  • Richards, Marc (2007): "On Phases, Phase Heads, and Functional Categories", Nanzan Linguistics 1, 105–127.
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  • Roberts, Ian (1997): Comparative Syntax. Arnold, London.
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  • Wurmbrand, Susi & Youssef A. Haddad (2016). "Cyclic Spell-Out Derived Agreement in Arabic Raising Constructions".  Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics XXVIII, 193-226. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
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  • Zyman, Erik (2017): "Phase-Constrained Obligatory Late Adjunction". Ms., UC Santa Cruz.
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