某些SOV 語言中的疑問詞移位與屬性檢核理論

Question Movement in Some SOV Languages and the Theory of Feature Checking

某些SOV 語言中的wh 詞組須緊臨在動詞左邊。本文使用馬拉亞拉姆語(Malayalam) 的語料論證在這些語言中，wh 詞組移至vP 之上的焦點詞組指示語位置，該移位可以用「相位理論」(phase theory) 來解釋。若從屬子句中的wh 詞組以主要子句為其疑問範域，則其經過兩步驟的移位：該wh 詞組先移到從屬子句裡的焦點位置，再帶著整個從屬子句移到主要子句的焦點位置。我們指出，單單由「屬性檢核」(feature checking) 的機制無法說明這些移位，必須將「疑問運符」(question operator) 之「搜尋」(probe)的性質參數化。

In some SOV languages, a wh-phrase must show up in a position immediately to the left of V. Using Malayalam data, it is argued that the wh-phrase is in fact moved into the Spec of a Focus Phrase immediately above vP. This IP-internal wh-movement can be understood in terms of the Phase Impenetrability Condition of phase theory. If a wh-phrase in an embedded clause has matrix scope, the scope-marking is done by two movements: (i) the wh-phrase moves into the Focus position in the minimal clause; (ii) this clause is pied-piped into the Focus position of the matrix clause. It is shown that the device of feature checking is unable (by itself) to describe these movements; and it is suggested that we must factor in a parameterized property of the question operator’s probe.