On the syntactic derivation of negative sentence adverbials

Rowlett, PA

Abstract

We consider recent Government-Binding work on sentential negation, e.g. by Pollock, and evaluate a fundamental assumption made about the syntax of negative clauses. While accepting that ne is generated as the head of NegP,
we reject the dual claim that pas is characteristically: (a) a maximal projection, and (b) base-generated as the specifier of ne. We offer a three-sided argument against such an analysis, invoking: (a) the incompatibility of the
proposal with the status of pas as a nominal; (b) the interaction between pas, etc, and indefinite direct objects; and (c) the syntax of 'adverbials'. We go on to consider Obenauer's work on 'quantification at a distance' and Battye's work on 'nominal quantification'. On the basis of this work, we posit that pas is generated lower in clause structure, either VP-adjoined or as the head of a determiner-less direct object DP.

Citation

Rowlett, P. (1993). On the syntactic derivation of negative sentence adverbials. Journal of French Language Studies, 3(1), 39-69. https://doi.org/10.1017/S095926950000034X

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 1993
• Deposit Date: Jan 31, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2016
• Journal: Journal of French Language Studies
• Print ISSN: 0959-2695
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 39-69
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S095926950000034X
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S095926950000034X