The grammar of multiple head-movement : a comparative study

Abstract

he concept of head-movement plays a central role in transformational analysis and comparative syntax. The research reported here resolves the problem of head-movement with a model which integrates the phenomenon of multiple head-movement. It is shown that head-movement involves two distinct components: a feature valuation operation which takes place within the core syntax at the phase level, and a substitution transformation which operates as a part of the externalization process, forming complex words from atomic roots and affixes. Evidence which supports this new theoretical model is provided with case studies in a number of languages, including detailed examinations of the verb prefix system in Russian and the tripartite morphological structures in Innu-aimûn