Not all CPs Are Phases!

Since the inception of phase theory (Chomsky 2000), there has been considerable debate over the exact nature of phases. Chomsky (2000, et seq.) proposes that unaccusative and passive vPs are not phases. On the other hand, Legate (2003) argues that unaccusative and passive vPs are also (strong) phases (see also Sauerland 2003). However, Legate (2012) suggests that v is not a phase when it does not assign case. Although there is no consensus on the phasehood of v, researchers seem to agree that every (finite) CP is a phase. This is based on a variety of empirical data showing that elements moving across a clause boundary land in Spec,CP en route to their surface position. However, in this paper, I will argue that not all CPs are phases, using Korean Exceptional Case Marking (ECM) construction, and Fox and Pesetsky’s (2005) Cyclic Linearization.