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Querying the VP-Internal Subject Hypothesis

Author: YuCaiNian
Tutor: ZhaoYanChun
School: Sichuan International Studies University
Course: Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
Keywords: subject VP the (?) Theory the VP ISH the FISA
CLC: H04
Type: Master's thesis
Year: 2011
Downloads: 24
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Abstract

The VP-Internal Subject Hypothesis (VPISH) is a hot topic in the literature of Transformational-generative Linguistics, which proposes that the subject originates as the Specifier (Spec) position of VP and is subsequently raised to the Specifier position of IP for Case-checking purposes via a movement operation known as the Subject-raising. It seems that the VP-Internal Subject Hypothesis gives a comprehensive and consummate interpretation to the Subject-raising. Nevertheless, it bases on a problematic theory itself.At first, the study queries the theoretical basis of the VP-Internal Subject Hypothesis, its core contents: the maximal projection of the VP structure, two subject-positions, that is, Spec-VP and Spec-IP, and three motivation of the VP-Internal Subject Hypothesis. After comparison,contrast and analysis, we find that Kuroda et al. discussed the maximal projection of verbal phrase structure at two different hierarchies; one regards VP as the maximal projection, while the other regards Vmax (Small Clause) as the maximal projection. These divergences result in inconsistency of theoretical basis itself. In the meantime, the position of Specifier within VP is fallacious, because it violates the Necessary and Sufficient Condition, which any phrase structure must obey. With regard to the motivation of the VP-Internal Subject Hypothesis, as the case stands, some of them proceed from semantic contents, instead of syntactic consideration. And the thesis reanalyzes Radford’s evidence one by one, finding that some of the supposed evidence is insufficient and phenomenological, and is lack of logic consideration, especially without combining the human’s cognitive mechanism and language structure, so the VP-Internal Subject Hypothesis itself has a lot of theoretical deficiency and internal inappropriateness. All of these limitations and discoveries will help us to build our new interpretative framework.Then, the study reanalyzes the VP structure, and brings forward the New VP Schema, and there are only a Head V and its Complement NP within it. It accords with human cognitive mechanism and economy principle of syntax. Based on the New VP Schema and the Logic Frame of the human language, this thesis proposes the Frame-Internal Subject Assumption (FISA), namely the subject is base-generated directly within the Frame (F), it occupies the position of NP within the Frame; and there is no necessity to raise or move the subject any more. Meanwhile, the study still finds that once the subject generates directly within the Frame, the Case, the Movement and so on would be unnecessary any more, it means that the Case-checking mechanism and the Movement operation etc. would be impaired undoubtedly.At last, the study further points out features and advantages of the Frame-Internal Subject Assumption, and introduces some cross-linguistic data and previous examples into the validation of the Frame-Internal Subject Assumption. In fact, it is an effective, economical approach to account for the subject position. It is the brevity and economy that the Frame-Internal Subject Assumption incarnates appropriately. At the end of the thesis, we show clearly that there are lots of limitations of this study and some suggestions for further research.

Querying the VP-Internal Subject Hypothesis

Abstract

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