Finiteness and Control in Greek

Finiteness has been considered to be the most prominent syntactic property of clauses because it determines whether certain syntactic operations can apply across a clause boundary. More specifically, finiteness has been used as a cover term for the ability of a clause to check nominative case on its subject. In such a way, finiteness regulates the distribution of a nominative subject, either an overt DP-subject or a null subject pro. In a finite clause, the subject is able to check its nominative case and thus becomes inaccessible to further computation, whereas in a nonfinite clause the subject cannot check its nominative case, and can either be a PRO resulting in control structures or be targeted by a higher probe in raising constructions. According to standard approaches to finiteness within the Principles & Parameters and early Minimalist frameworks (Chomsky 1981, 1993, 1995), nominative case is checked by a finite T (= INFL) functional category; T is able to check ( nominative) case (i.e. it is finite) when it is fully specified for Tense and Agreement. In the most recent minimalist approaches (Chomsky 2000, 2001a, b), nominative case checking is considered to be the by- product of subject-agreement valuation in T. Such an approach implies that finiteness is a property of agreement.