ADJOIN VS. MERGE, AND THE CONCEPT OF C-COMMAND

Abstract

This paper studies the syntactic relation of c-command in derivations involving adjunction within the framework of Chomsky's minimalist program. First, we re-examine how Reinhart's notion of c-command defined on representations applies to structures containing adjuncts. We then extend Epstein's idea of derivational c-command to incorporate derivations involving adjuncts. By assuming the syntactic operation Adjoin and by revising the notion of cycle in a derivation, we show that the concept of derivational c-command provides for an explanatory account of various types of data containing adjuncts.