Constraints on intra- and extraposition
- Author(s): Markus Bader 1 , Jana Häussler 2 and Tanja Schmid 3
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View Affiliations Hide AffiliationsAffiliations:1 Goethe University Frankfurt2 University of Potsdam3 University of Konstanz
- Source: Rightward Movement in a Comparative Perspective , pp 63-98
- Publication Date July 2013
Complement clauses in German are subject to two conflicting requirements. First, the grammar requires complements to precede the clause-final verb. Second, considerations of parsing complexity require clausal complements to move rightward to a position following the clause-final verb, thereby avoiding center-embedding. We explore how the two major types of infinitival complement clauses – infinitival complements of modal and control verbs – behave with regard to the tension created by these two conflicting requirements. Based on two grammaticality judgment experiments – one for each type of infinitival complementation – we argue that the observable pattern of intra-and extraposition, including certain mixed cases, is best understood as a gradual relaxation of the grammar-internal OV constraint in reaction to parsing pressure.
- Affiliations: 1: Goethe University Frankfurt; 2: University of Potsdam; 3: University of Konstanz
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