A uniform syntax for phrasal movement : a case study of Dinka Bor

Abstract

This dissertation argues that all instances of phrasal movement are the result of Agree and Merge (Chomsky 1995, 2001), and, in addition to this, that the existence of different types of movement derives solely from variation in properties of the feature involved in the Agree relation. Guided by novel data from the Nilotic language Dinka Bor (South Sudan), I apply this view to three kinds of movement: A-movement, A-movement, and intermediate movement steps of successive-cyclic dependencies. In addition, I present a novel argument, from patterns of pronoun copying, that all phrasal movement arises from Merge.