Syntactic definitions
(Adger 2003; Hornstein, Nunes, and Grohman 2005)
An uninterpretable feature F on a syntactic object Y is checked when Y is in a c-command relation with another syntactic object Z which bears a matching feature F.
(i) Principle A: If α is an anaphor, interpret it as coreferential with a c-commandin phrase in its domain.
(ii) Principle B: If β is a pronoun, interpret it as disjoint from every c-commanding phrase in its domain.
(iii) Principle C: If α is an R-expression, interpret it as disjoint from every c-commanding phrase.
α c-commands β iff
(i) α is a sister of β or
(ii) α is a sister of γ and γ dominates β.
Uninterpretable features must be checked, and once checked, they can delete.
If two positions α and β are in the same MinD, they are equidistant from any other position
Application of Merge can only target root syntactic objects.
The MinD of a chain formed by adjoining the head Y to the head X is the union of MinD(Y) and MinD(X), excluding projections of Y.
The LF object λ must be built only from the features of the lexicals items of N.
An intermediate projection is a syntactic object that is neither an X nor an XP.
A movement operation is licensed only if it allows the elimination of [-interpretable] formal features.
Linear Correspondance Axiom (LCA)
A lexical item α precedes a lexical item β iff
(i) α asymmetrically c-commands β or
(ii) an XP dominating α asymmetrically c-commands β.
A maximal projection is a syntactic object that doesn't project.
Minimal Domain of α (MinD(α))
The set of categories immediately contained or immediately dominated by projections of the head α, excluding projections of α.
A minimal projection is a lexical item selected from the numeration.
NPIs (negative polarity items) must be c-commanded by a negative element.
Phase Impenetrability Condition (PIC)
In a phase α with head H, the domain of H is not accessible to operations outside α, only H and its edge are accessible to such operations.
Predicate-Internal Subject Hypothesis (PISH)
The thematic subject is base-generated inside the predicate.
Try to minimize the restriction in the operator position.
A reflexive must be coreferential with a preceding expression.
Theta-Role Assignment Principle (TRAP)
θ-roles can only be assigned under a Merge operation.
The operations available in the covert component must be the same ones available in overt syntax.
Uniformity of θ-Assignment Hypothesis (UTAH)
Identical thematic relationships between predicates and their arguments are represented syntactically by identical structural relationships when items are Merged.
