Speaker: Ogloo Jurkhaichin (MIT)
Title: The Nature of Edge: Evidence from Cross-clausal A-movement in Mongolian
Time: Thursday, November 6th, 5pm – 6pm
Location: 32-D769
Abstract: Syntactic operations are bounded by phases, in which the edge is typically taken to be the highest specifier (Fox & Pesetsky 2005; Rackowski & Richards 2005; Bokovi? 2016, a.o.). In this talk, I will argue that the edge need not be only the highest specifier; a lower specifier of the clausal periphery may also act as an escape hatch for further syntactic movement. This is evidenced by the novel observation that Mongolian permits cross-clausal A-movement to escape phases in which the highest specifier is an ? position (contra Gong 2022, 2023). In particular, given the Ban on Improper Movement, I propose to posit a lower A-specifier that facilitates subsequent cross-clausal A-movement.