THE LOCATIVE INVERSION CONSTRUCTION IN ENGLISH: TOPICALIZATION AND THE PRONUNCIATION OF THE LOWER COPY

Abstract

In the Locative Inversion Construction in English, where the subject DP (i.e. the Theme DP) occurs post-verbally, the Location PP appears to occupy the so-called “subject position” (cf. Nishihara (1999, 2005)). In this paper, adopting the copy theory of movement (Chomsky (1995)), I alternatively propose that in this construction, the Spec of TP is filled by the Theme DP. In particular, I argue that the Theme DP undergoes A-movement to the Spec of TP at narrow syntax, with the lower copy in its original position pronounced at PF due to the status of the DP as a focused XP, while the Location PP undergoes overt A′-movement to the Spec of TopP via Topicalization.