Feature-Splitting Based Sideward Movement Analysis in the Subject Parasitic Gaps

The aim of this paper is to investigate the mechanism of the English Subject Parasitic Gap construction. The Parasitic Gap construction can be classified into two types according to the position where the gap is created; the Subject Parasitic Gap and the Adjunct Parasitic Gap. Most of the recent studies (Nissenbaum 2000, Nunes 2001, 2004) seek to unify the many curious properties observed in the two types of Parasitic Gap construction. However, the non-referentiality of the moved wh-element of the Subject Parasitic Gap construction indicates that the unified analysis of the Parasitic Gap construction cannot accommodate the contrast between the two types of Parasitic Gap construction. In this paper, we will propose a new analysis based on Nunes's (2001, 2004) Sideward Movement analysis and Obata and Epstein's (2011) feature-splitting system. In this analysis, we will assume that the referentiality of the moved element is decided on whether that element has the referential feature or not. We will also argue that the non-referentiality of the moved wh-element in the Subject Parasitic Gap construction is due to the splitting of the relevant features.