Abstract
In this paper, I examine the Chain Condition (Chomsky 1981, 1986a) and show that the requirement that the head of an A-Chain be its unique Case position cannot be maintained when a range of data from different languages is examined. In its place, I propose the Revised Chain Condition (RCC), which allows A-Chains to contain more than one Case-marked position as long as each position within the Chain is uniquely Case-marked. Unlike the Chain Condition, which resists successful deduction from independent postulates, the RCC can be derived in its entirety from plausible primitives of the grammar. I test the predictions of the RCC with respect to a variety of theoretical constructs, showing them to be confirmed. The implications of RCC for the conception of Chains and movement in the minimalist approach (Chomsky 1992, 1994, Chomsky and Lasnik 1991, and Lasnik 1993) are discussed. It is argued that a careful reading of the minimalist literature turns out to support the RCC.
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The research reported in this paper was presented in various stages at NELS 21 (Montreal), the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), and the University of Texas (Austin). This research was initiated jointly with Jeongme Yoon, to whom I owe a special debt of gratitude. Initial stages of this work are reported in her dissertation as well as in our joint and individual papers. I would also like to thank the following individuals for their help and comments at various stages of this work: Elabbas Benmamoun, Rakesh Bhatt, Michel DeGraff, Kisun Hong, Jeongshik Lee, Youngsuk Lee, and Joan Maling. The comments of several anonymous reviewers of NLLT, as well as the prodding and encouragement of Joan Maling, helped to significantly improve the content and organization of this paper.
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Yoon, J. Ambiguity of government and the Chain Condition. Nat Lang Linguist Theory 14, 105–162 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00133404
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00133404