(toc) #title= (Table of Content)
WH-Movement Structures
WH-Movement derives its name from English question markers known as WH-words, such as what, where, when, who, which, and so on. Questions beginning with these words are WH-questions. Constructions that behave similarly but lack explicit WH-words are also called WH-Movement constructions.
Questions requiring content words demand specific information. Answers to such questions are typically phrased in a WH-phrase, as shown in the examples below:
1. She wants to buy WHAT?
2. WHAT does she want to buy?
While (1) could refer to various things like shoes, tomatoes, or bread, questions are usually structured as in (2). The format in (1) is used for echo-questions, where the listener wants a repeated or echoed response. Echo questions are employed when the listener needs clarification, expresses disbelief, or questions the statement's sanity.
From this, we deduce that (1) represents the basic pattern, and (2) is the D-structure. The examples are restated for clarity:
1. She wants to buy WHAT?
2. WHAT does she want to buy?
3. WHAT does [she want to buy---]
The movement path is depicted in (3), demonstrating the WH-phrase's movement out of the sentence enclosed by the brackets.
The extraction site for a WH-phrase is a governed position, in this case, a complement of the verb "buy." Based on our earlier observation, we posit that the WH-phrase lands in a COMP site, as shown in the following phrase marker:
S
S
WHi Comp
can
5. (a)
Spec
C1
C
IP
tWoHAbTuy
[+WHAT]
does want
The SPEC (specifier) of CP serves as the host for the moved WH-phrase, providing a natural landing site rather than a temporary abode.
In technical terms, the extraction site (or movement site) is a subcategorized position, a complement of a V. Such positions are called argument positions (i.e., an argument of the verb), commonly abbreviated as A-position. However, since no verb subcategorizes for a SPEC position, we posit that the [SPEC, CP] is a non-argument position, an A-bar position. Consequently, the WH-phrase moves from an A-position (extraction site) to an A-bar position (landing site), where it is assigned a theta-role.
There are cases where a WH-word may be attached to a preposition, requiring the WH-word to move with the preposition instead of leaving it behind. This situation, known as pied piping, is illustrated in the example below:
(b) To [whomi did [You give ti the book]]
CP CP
In this example, the preposition "to" is left stranded outside the labeled bracket.
3.2 Adjunct Movement
This movement operation is exemplified by the following sentence:
6. (a) She must realize that this kind of behavior no husband
can condone.
(b) She must realize that no husband can condone this kind of
behavior.
(c) She must realize [that this kind of behavior no husband can condone]
In (6a), the italicized CP "this kind of behavior" seems to function as the complement of "condone," suggesting that it originates in post-verbal position, as in (6b). It is then topicalized (i.e., made the topic of the bracketed that-clause as in (6c)) by being moved to a more prominent position at the front of the clause. However, the exact position to which the italicized phrase is moved is not immediately apparent.
Clearly, it is moved to a position between the COMP (complementizer) "that" and the following IP, which begins with "no husband." The analysis we adopt here maintains that the topicalized expression undergoes an operation known as adjunction, by which it is adjoined (attached) to the left of IP. It leaves a trace behind in the position from which it moves (extraction site), so that the that-clause is derived as in (7):
DP
THAT IP
this kind of behavior
DP I1
no husband
I VP
V DP
t
can condone
Adjunction is an operation whereby a given category is expanded into a larger category of the same type by adding another expression. In the case of (7), the original IP "no husband can condone this kind of behavior" is expanded into the larger IP "this kind of behavior no husband can condone t" by moving the DP (Determiner phrase) "this kind of behavior" and adjoining it to the left of the original IP, leaving behind a trace as the complement of "condone."
WH-Movement and Subject NP
Thus far, our discussion of WH-Movement has focused on the object position of V or P. In English, when the subject is moved, it is not immediately evident that any phrase has vacated its place. Consider the following examples:
8. (a) Who killed his banana tree?
(b) Who is addressing the conference?
(c) Who will tell the President?
In English, WH-Movement often involves the metathesis of the Tense-bearing modal with the subject NP. This can be seen in the following examples:
9. (a) Where will they drop the anchor tonight?
(b) When can you find time to pay us a visit?
(c) What can a poor man say to the King?
In (9a) and (9b), "where" and "when" are adjunct PPs located sentence-finally, while in (9c), "what" is a complement of "say." These examples involve AUX-NP inversion in the SS, unlike (8) where movement originates in the subject position.
Relativization
WH-Movement may not always affect a WH-phrase properly contained in a subject NP. English grammar allows for the extraction of other constituents properly contained in a subject NP. Consider the following pair of sentences:
10. (a) A girl who I want to marry is coming to court.
(b) A girl is coming to court who I want to marry.
In these examples, "who I want to marry" is a relative clause that modifies the head of the subject "girl." In (10a), the relative clause is a constituent of the subject NP, whereas in (10b), it has been moved out of the subject to the end of the sentence. If we assume that the movement results from the adjunction of the relative clause (CP) to VP via a rule called Extraposition, we would analyze the structure of (10b) as (11) below:
11. IP
NP I*
DP CP I VP
VP CP
a girl
is coming to court who I want to marry
The empty CP in the subject NP represents the trace of the extraposed relative clause in VP.
Conclusion
In this unit, we discussed WH-Movement operations, demonstrating how they operate in various constructions. Similar to other movements, WH-elements (or phrases) have an extraction site, a landing site (the target), and leave a trace that coexists with the moved element.
Leave a comment behind