Subject positions, case checking and EPP in complex noun phrase constructions in Turkish

Abstract

This study discusses Nominative/Genitive subject case checking in CNPCs, in certain complement and adjunct clauses in Turkish. We analyze the structural properties of CNPCs as higher order compounds and the syntactic mechanism involved in Nominative/Genitive subject case checking and EPP which is crucial for understanding subject movement operations. The basic claim of this thesis is that Nominative/Genitive case checking syntactic structures are surface variants of the same projection with the difference attributed to features inserted at phase heads in line with Features as Case licenser approach (Hiraiwa 2005). Nominal or verbal features inserted at phase heads determine the nature of the complement domains and also the case marker on the subject. This analysis has the advantage that it assumes the same case licensing mechanism for Nominative/Genitive subjects without appealing to different functional projections like nP or DP for genitive case licensing. This study further makes an analysis on the structural properties of all CNPCs realized in Turkish. The structural properties proposed for CNPCs with Nominative/Genitive subjects together with the case checking mechanism also shed light on movement operations of the subjects. The subjects are not triggered to [Spec TP] for case or phi feature agreement purposes. Reconstruction in raising constructions, binding and NPI tests illustrate that in contrast to some other null-subject languages the subjects in Turkish do not show the properties of A’ domain, with [Spec TP] remaining as the only possible target position for the subjects. In conclusion case licensing and phi feature agreement mechanism show a regular pattern in Nom/Gen subjects and EPP exists as an independent mechanism in Turkish.