| ROA: | 117 |
|---|---|
| Title: | When is Less More? Faithfulness and Minimal Links in wh-Chains |
| Authors: | Geraldine Legendre, Paul Smolensky, Colin Wilson |
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| Abstract: | When is Less More? Faithfulness and Minimal Links in wh-Chains ROA-117 minlink.ps Geraldine Legendre, Paul Smolensky, & Colin Wilson Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University legendre@vonneumann.cog.jhu.edu paul@vonneumann.cog.jhu.edu wilson@vonneumann.cog.jhu.edu In the domain of wh-questions, we explore the application of OT to syntactic explanation based on the principle of Minimal Links ('Shortest Move'). We develop a family of constraints called MinLink, and argue: (a) OT allows a strong but flexible MinLink to be constructed directly from general principles, and (b) the resulting MinLink explains a broad range of cross-linguistic (overt and covert) extraction facts. In addition, we argue for certain general solutions to fundamental questions for comparison-based syntactic formalisms: What structures compete? What is the 'input'? How is language-particular ineffability possible? How are marked outputs possible? To appear in the Proceedings of the Workshop on Optimality in Syntax, MIT Press & MIT Working Papers in Linguistics ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: |
| Type: | Paper/tech report |
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| Article: | Version 1 |