Introduction

In Chapter 2, we studied the Noun Phrase from two points of view. First, from a phrase-external perspective, we discussed the contexts in which NP is found, and introduced subtheories that account for NP distribution. We then examined the internal structure of the phrase, describing the basic structural and functional relations among constituents that co-occur with a noun to form NP (or DP). In this chapter and in Chapter 4, we will consider these same issues with respect to the Verb Phrase (VP). We will begin the discussion in this chapter with an overview of the distribution of VP, and provide a preliminary description of principles that account for this distribution (Section 3.2). We will see that there are two grammatical relations that restrict the distribution of VP: the relation between VP and the clausal subject, and the relation between VP and Tense. Subsequent sections of this chapter will be concerned with relations between the head of the phrase and its arguments. Section 3.3 discusses the external argument, or subject; Sections 3.4–3.7 describe complements or internal arguments. Although we will not provide a detailed account of the properties of verbal arguments, we will see that the subtheories introduced in Chapter 2 provide a means of structurally distinguishing verbal arguments from non-arguments. In Chapter 4, we will take up several additional issues related to the structure of the Verb Phrase, including how clitics and auxiliary verbs are related to the verb and its arguments.

Introduction

The extent of Modern Spanish

Modern Spanish is spoken by just under 300 million people world-wide, and is thus one of the three or four most widely spoken languages, after Mandarin Chinese, English and possibly Hindi. Spanish is the primary or official language in numerous countries, including Spain and its dependencies, Equatorial Guinea, eighteen countries of Central and South America, and the US protectorate of Puerto Rico. Spanish is robust as a first or second language in many areas of the southwestern United States, as well as in other agricultural areas of the US, and urban areas such as Miami and New York. According to the 1990 census, about 17.3 million people over the age of five speak Spanish at home in the US.

Many countries in which Spanish is the official or primary language are linguistically diverse, with bilingualism a common, but not universal, phenomenon. In the north of Spain, primary languages include Basque, Catalan and Galician. In Latin America, many indigenous languages are used alongside Spanish. In Bolivia, for example, at least half the population speaks either Aymara or Quechua natively, and it is estimated that 40% of these speakers do not speak Spanish (Grimes 1988:85–87; Kurian 1992:184). In Paraguay, Guaraní is spoken by over 3 million speakers, with a majority of rural speakers being monolingual (Grimes 1988:125). Relatively large populations of speakers of indigenous languages are also found in Peru (Ayacucho Quechua and Cuzco Quechua), Guatemala (Mayan languages) and Ecuador (Quichua). Many other indigenous languages are spoken, by populations numbering from dozens of speakers to tens of thousands.

Introduction

In this chapter, we will examine several constructions whose derivations are standardly assumed to involve movement to CP, the highest projection of clausal structure. As the discussion will show, the claim that operator-like phrases such as interrogatives move overtly to CP in Spanish has been debated in recent literature. In 6.2, we discuss Wh-movement, beginning with a summary of core properties, and then turning to issues of structure – particularly landing sites – as discussed in recent work. Section 6.3 discusses Contrastive Focus Phrases, which have been argued to be derived by A′-movement also. We again review properties of the construction and then the derivation, with emphasis on the landing site. Section 6.4 briefly summarizes several other phenomena that have been analyzed as involving A′-movements, although these constructions lack an overt operator-like element, or in some cases any overt movement. This section begins with “Scrambling” as discussed in Ordóñez (1997), then introduces three constructions that have been argued to be derived via movement of a null operator: parasitic gaps, complex adjectivals, and null indefinite objects. Section 6.5 discusses Xo movement to (and through) the head of CP.

Wh-movement

Traditionally, the “rule” of Wh-movement is assumed to subsume the movement of interrogative phrases in direct and indirect questions, as well as the movement of relative pronouns in relative clauses. Here, the properties of Wh-movement will be illustrated for interrogatives only. For discussion of relative clauses, see Plann (1980), Suñer (1984), Rivero (1990) and Brucart (1994). In this section, we will describe several characteristics of Wh-questions.

This textbook is intended to present a broad view of Spanish syntax, one which takes into account the results of recent research, but which does not focus on theoretical discussion, nor assume familiarity with current theory. In order to describe insights based on recent research, it is of course necessary to introduce enough theoretical machinery so that the approaches that have been explored are understandable. Earlier discussions, especially Chapters 2 and 3, are framed within the assumptions of the Principles and Parameters framework as developed in Chomsky (1981, 1986). Chapters 4 and 5 introduce some basic elements of the Minimalist framework of Chomsky (1993, 1995). That discussion is largely informal, and rather than providing a comprehensive introduction to the theory, it is intended to give just enough background to allow the reader to understand the lines of investigation that have been pursued in accounting for such issues as clause structure and constituent order.

Chapter 1 presents a descriptive overview of the grammar, combining many generalizations of a traditional nature with some generalizations that arise within generative grammar. This description is intended to include both those generalizations that would be of particular interest to students of Spanish linguistics, and information of a broader nature for readers who are not Spanish specialists. Chapter 2 focuses on the Noun Phrase (NP). In the course of the discussion, basic theoretical mechanisms of the Principles and Parameters framework, such as Theta-role assignment, Case assignment and Predication are introduced, in order to account for the external distribution of NP.