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On the Default Mechanism for Interrogative Binding

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2016

Helen Goodluck ,
Kofi K. Saah  and
Danijela Stojanović
Helen Goodluck
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa
Kofi K. Saah
Affiliation:
University of Ghana
Danijela Stojanović
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa
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Abstract

The difference between the two mechanisms for wh-question binding (i.e., sucessive cyclic movement and pronominal binding) is characterized, inter alia, by the presence of island constraints (subjacency effects) in movement but not pronominal constructions. Using experimental data from child and adult speakers of Akan (pronominal binding) and Serbo-Croatian (movement and pronominal binding), it is argued that: 1) Previous experiments on English-speaking children’s knowledge of the block on extraction from within adjuncts do not positively support early use of a movement grammar in English; 2) Apparent sensitivity to movement constraints may arise as a consequence of processing preferences; 3) The evidence to date is nonetheless compatible with movement as the default hypothesis for wh-binding; 4) The parsing preference for non-island locations for a wh-word may have utility for the learner, helping to correct overly permissive grammars.

Résumé

Résumé

La différence entre les deux mécanismes pour lier un mot-wh, soit le déplacement cyclique et le liage pronominal, est essentiellement caractérisée par le fait que seul le déplacement cyclique est sujet aux contraintes d’îles (effets de sous-jacence). Sur la base des données d’expériences faites avec les locuteurs enfantins et adultes de l’akan (liage pronominal) et du serbo-croate (déplacement cyclique et liage pronominal), il est argumenté que: 1) Les résultats antérieurs sur l’extraction hors d’adjoints en anglais (langue qui utilise seulement le déplacement) n’ appuient pas d’une manière sûre l’hypothèse de l’acquisition précoce du déplacement; 2) La sensibilité apparente aux contraintes sur le déplacement peut être la conséquence du mécanisme de décodage; 3) Les données sont néanmoins compatibles avec le choix du déplacement comme cas non-marqué pour le liage-wh; 4) La tendance dans le décodage à associer le mot-wh à une position externe à une île peut être utile à l’apprenant, le rendant capable de corriger des grammaires trop permissives.

Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique , Volume 40 , Issue 4 , December 1995 , pp. 377 - 404
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Linguistic Association 1995

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