Modelling Control Theory

• Applicants: Professorin Dr. Artemis Alexiadou; Dr. Silke Fischer
• Subject Area: General and Comparative Linguistics, Experimental Linguistics, Typology, Non-European Languages
• Term: from 2014 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 258946513

The main goal of the project is to develop a comprehensive syntactic theory of control based on the phase model. Hence, we will investigate both forward and backward control (BC). BC is a phenomenon which has only recently entered the limelight of discussion and seems to be a useful tool to evaluate theories of control. This part of the project involves research concerning the identification of real BC and the classification of different languages with respect to the availability of BC. The idea we would like to pursue is that the latter correlates with the availability of clitic doubling chains in a language. The second major hypothesis we would like to explore is that BC can be reduced to Long Distance Agree (LDA). As far as forward control is concerned, we would like to develop a hybrid theory of control which combines advantages of both the PRO-based theories of control and the movement theory of control. We envisage a theory which licenses the embedded subject in control structures under Agree as soon as controllee and controller are at the same time accessible in the syntactic derivation. Hence, the theory involves movement to some extent, since the underlying non-local dependency between controller and controllee must be bridged in a local derivational framework. However, since the controllee does not have to move as far as in the movement theory of control, the locality problems that arise there will be avoided. What the project wants to do is elaborate this idea and adjust it to the different types of control structures that can be found.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants