AGREEMENT ASYMMETRIES IN WELSH

Abstract

Welsh exhibits complex agreement patterns. The verb agrees with the pronoun but not with the lexical noun phrase. When displaced, both nominals control agreement in some constructions but not in others. These asymmetries follow from two different Agree operations. When the verb is higher than a nominal, the verb Agrees with the nominal's highest head. If the head bears a defective φ-set, the Agree is partial and results in no morphological reflex. When the nominal is higher, the verb Agrees with its label. Since the label bears a full φ-set due to feature percolation, the Agree is full and has a morphological reflex unless it is blocked by an intervener.