On the argument structure of the causative construction

I claim that scope interactions provide empirical evidence in order to establish the argument structure of the causative construction in Romance languages. Since quantifier raising adjoins a quantified argument to vP, quantified arguments interact differently if they are coarguments than if they are not. Thus, scope interactions are able to give indications on what arguments in a causative structure belong to the same vP, and, as a consequence, how vPs may occur in a causative structure. The data I discuss shows that in Romance causative structures the causee and the internal argument (if any) are arguments of the causativized predicate, whereas the causative head introduces the causer argument. Moreover, they suggest that the causee moves from its merger position to a higher functional position in order to check dative Case. Keywords: causatives; argument structure; quantifier raising; scope; Case checking

• Affiliations: 1: University of Venice