Merge is assumed to come free in minimalist program. The logic for this assumption is that we could not even utter a sentence because it’s the cheapest way. With Merge as an indispensible operation in grammar, this paper explores the nature of a feature that serves as the trigger of Merge. In recent terminology, the feature in question is called an edge feature EF. Based on the observation that movement always targets a functional head, this paper tries to show that non-functional lexical items really have a limitation in the number of Merge, that is to say, they can merge just once and for all.
1. Introduction
2. Merge and the Edge Feature
3. EF and Functional vs. Non-Functional LIs
4. EFs and Small Clauses
5. Conclusion