THE CHAIN OF PUZZLES: PRONOUNS, ANAPHORS AND COMPLEMENTATION IN TURKISH

Date

2024-9-04

Author

Coşkun, Ayşenur

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This thesis investigates the properties of the null subject in Turkish. Referential possibilities of the null subject differ in the embedded subject position in clauses headed by the nominalizers -mA and -DIK. The embedded and matrix subjects can be coindexed in -DIK clauses, while the coindexation of the subjects is impossible in -mA clauses. I propose that the differences in the coindexation of the null subject result from the difference in the syntactic structures of the embedded clauses. The subjunctive matrix verbs select the nominalizer -mA in the embedded clause, while the indicative matrix verbs select the nominalizer -DIK. The obligatory non-coreference of matrix and embedded subjects in -mA clauses is caused by the fact that -mA clauses do not have tense and constitute a non-phase CP. On the other hand, -DIK clauses have tense and are strong phase CPs. The defective CP in -mA clauses does not form a separate binding domain; thus, since the embedded and matrix subjects are in the same binding domain, their coindexation results in a violation of the Principle B of the Binding Theory giving rise to the obligatory disjoint reference. Since the phase CP in –DIK clauses is a separate binding domain from the matrix clause, the embedded subject can be coindexed with the matrix subject. Given that the null subject in Turkish embedded clauses seems to be subject to the Principle B of the Binding Theory, it is concluded that it is pronominal in nature, i.e., that it is a null pro.

Subject Keywords

null pro, pronouns, complementation, binding theory, phase

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/111364

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis