Abstract
Larson (1987) proposes, contra Bresnan and Grimshaw (1978), that free relatives with "missing" Ps are NP-headed and undergo antecedent-contained deletion, and that adjectival/adverbial free relatives are "free comparatives." Using data not previously considered, he argues for a head analysis of wh-phrases in free relatives. I argue here, on the basis of data from English, French, and German, that (i) Larson's argument for the "head analysis" is invalid, (ii) free AP/AdvP constructions are relatives, not comparatives, (iii) free relatives of all categories are headed by null categories, and (iv) in missing-P free relatives, the overt P and the wh-phrase form a constituent located in [Spec, C′].
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 257-293 |
| Number of pages | 37 |
| Journal | Linguistic Inquiry |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| State | Published - Mar 1996 |
Keywords
- "Free comparative," pro
- Antecedent-contained deletion
- Free relative
- Head vs. complementizer analysis
- Missing preposition