UNIVERSITATEA

FACULTATEA
DE

DIN
I

BUCURETI

LIMBI

LITERATURI STRINE

PROIECT

DE

LICEN

CANDIDAT: Sandra Iulia RONAI NDRUMTOR TIINIFIC: prof. dr. Larisa AVRAM

2010 BUCURETI

UNIVERSITATEA

DIN

BUCURETI

FACULTATEA DE LIMBI I LITERATURI STRINE

NEGATION
AND RIZZIS LEFT PERIPHERY
EVIDENCE FROM ENGLISH AND LATIN
Negaia i periferia stng a lui Rizzi Argumente din englez i latin

CANDIDAT: NDRUMTOR TIINIFIC:

Sandra Iulia RONAI

prof. dr. Larisa AVRAM

2010 BUCURETI

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

1.

Rizzis Split-CP Hypothesis 1.1. 1.2. 1.3. 1.4. Introductory remarks The split CP Rizzis Left Periphery The Topic Focus system The Force-Finiteness system

2 2 4 6 9

2.

Negation and Double Negation 2.1. Types of Negation 2.1.1. 2.1.2. 2.2. 2.3. 2.4. 2.5. 2.6. The Scope of Negation Tests for sentence negation

11 11 11 13 14 16 17 18 26

Polarity and Polarity Items Negative elements Interpreting multiple negative elements A Short History of Double Negation Conclusions

3.

An overview of negation in Latin 3.1. Negative Elements in Latin 3.1.1. 3.1.2. 3.1.3. 3.1.4. 3.2. 3.3. 3.4. Negative markers Semi-negatives N-words Negative quantifiers

27 28 28 32 33 33 35 38 42

Negative Polarity Items Double Negation Conclusions

4.

Arguments in favor of Negation at the Left Periphery 4.1. 4.2. 4.3. Scopal Ambiguities Negation as the Binding of Free Variables Semantic Negation in Non-Negative Concord Languages 4.3.1. 4.3.2. 4.4. Syntactic vs. Semantic Negation Negation as Feature-Checking

42 43 45 46 46 47 49 50 52 57 59

Negation at the Left Periphery 4.4.1. 4.4.2. 4.4.3. Theoretical arguments Empirical evidence: Latin and other languages Extending the analysis: English

4.5.

Conclusions

Final Conclusions

59

Bibliography

60