The third construction and strength of C: A gradient harmonic grammar approach

Abstract

is paper addresses the third construction in German, i.e., sentences that combine clause-internal movement from a control innitive with extraposition of that innitive. I argue that conžicting evidence regarding the degree of bi-/mono-clausality of the extraposed innitive (as evidenced by Santorini & Kroch’s (1991) observation that long-distance scrambling is possible whereas wide scope of negation is not) is best captured by assuming that it qualies as a CP with a C head that has more strength than the C of a preverbal restructuring innitive embedded under a control verb, but less strength than the C of a non-restructuring innitive (or a nite clause). is presupposes an approach to syntax in which a number of dišerent strength assignments to a given type of category (like C) can be postulated, and can have a direct ešect on the (non-) application of syntactic operations. I will show that a version of minimalist syntax incorporating the Phase Impenetrability Condition (Chomsky 2001, 2013) that is embedded in a Gradient Harmonic Grammar approach (Smolensky & Goldrick 2016) can account for the variable strength of C in a principled way.