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Abstract

Abstract

Ewe (Kwa, Niger-Congo) has a construction known in the literature as the -construction (Ameka 1991, 2005a; Collins 1993; Duthie 1996; Adjei 2014). The logical internal argument of the construction occurs in subject position and the logical external argument is either absent on the surface or represented in the construction as a -PP. In this paper, I consider the syntax of the Ewe -construction, exploring data from the Tongugbe dialect. I show that the -construction shares properties with English middles. I demonstrate that the agent or experiencer -PP that may occur in the -construction is its external argument, projected in Spec vP. Further, I argue that even if the -PP is not overtly realized, it is syntactically projected in Spec vP, contrary to theories like Bruening 2013. The analysis I put forward provides support for the Theta-Criterion, which forces all arguments to be syntactically projected.

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/content/journals/10.1075/lv.23061.got
2024-05-17
2025-02-10
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/content/journals/10.1075/lv.23061.got
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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keywords: Ewe (Tongugbe) ; nyá-construction ; implicit argument ; smuggling ; A-movement
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