ON THE FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF AGR
Gemma &gau
Uni e si a Au bnoma de Ba celona
This pape is concemed wi h he p ope ies o he Ag eemen node: Pe son
and
Numbe . We analyze he ole ha each o hese elemen s plays in he sen ence. I
will be claimed ha Pe son is he Nomina i e Case assigne , whe eas Numbe
ma ks he mos p ominen a gumen o he p edica e. Consequen ly, numbe
ag eemen be ween he e b and
an
a gumen does no necessa ily mean ha he
a gumen ecei es Nomina i e Case. The da a we will discuss belongs o wo
Ca alan dialec s No hwes e n and Cen al. I will be p oposed ha numbe
ag eemen is au onomous wi h espec o pe son ag eemen in No hwes e n Ca alan.
In Cen al
Ca alan,
howe e , lack o speci ica ion o Pe son en ails lack o
speci ica ion o Numbe .
O.
In oduc ion
Func ional elemen s ha e adi ionaily been conside ed he exp ession o he ela ion ha holds
be ween he subjec and he p edica e in a clausal s uc u e. I has long been accep ed ha , in
many languages, he unc ional ca ego y AG~UBJE~ may con ain wo elemen s: PERSON
and NUMBER. In his pape , I analyze he ole ha each o hese elemen s plays in he
sen ence. I will be claimed ha PERSON (PERS) is he Nomina i e Case assigne , whe eas
i
NUMBER (NUM) ma ks he mos p ominen a gumen o he p edica e. In he Ca alan
exa nples (1
a,b) he p ominen a gumen is
he
ex e nal
en
Pe e:
(1) a. En Pe e menja pomes
'Pe e ea s apples'
b. En Pe e plo a a
'Pe e c ied'
Ca alan Wo king Pape s in Linguis ics (CWPL)
1991:
235-260
Uni e si a Au bnoma de Ba celona
VO o 10 mo emen allows he elemen PERS o o mally ela e he e b and i s ex e na1
a gumen ia Nomina i e Case assignmen , while NUM ag eemen mani es s he syn ac ic
ela ion be ween he e bal elemen and he mos p ominen a gumen in he sen en ial s nic u e.
This ela ion is implemen ed by checking NUM speci ica ion wi h ha a gumen . NUM
ag eemen appea s o
be
independen o PERS ag eemen in some Ca alan dialec s. In o he
dialec s, howe e , NUM and PERS ag eemen in e ac wi h each o he : lack o PERS
speci ica ion esul s in lack o NUM speci ica ion.The da a discussed in his pape belongs o
wo Ca alan dialec s: No hwes e n and Cen al.
1,
Case Res ic ions on he Syn ac ic Na u e o Ve bal A gumen s
My analysis will adop a se ies o hypo heses. Fi s , I assume ha AGR [-PERS] is no a Case
assigne . In his I
will
ollow Kayne (1989: n 1). This p oposal is compa ible wi h Raposo's
(1987) sugges ion ha o AGR o assign Case, i mus i sel ecei e Case om Tense.
Second, Nomina i e and Accusa i e Case es ic he syn ac ic na u e o he ecep o a gumen ,
he same way ha Pa i i e assignmen does. A gumen s ha ecei e Pa i i e Case a e NPs,
whe eas a gumen s ha ecei e s uc u al (Nomina i e and Acusa i e) Case a e DPs (see
To ego (1983) and Belle i (1988)). I will claim ha an a gumen can only ecei e one Case.
As opposed o Belle i (1988), I a gue ha ag eemen be ween an unaccusa i e e b and i s
in e nal a gumen is no ob ained by he conjoined assignmen o inhe en Pa i i e a D-
s uc u e and s uc u al Nomina i e a S-s uc u e. On he con a y,
I
will sugges ha
a i
a gumen ecei es ei he inhe en o s uc u al Case, bu no bo h.
Thi d, AGR [+NUMI is no necessa ily ela ed o Nomina i e Case assignmen . Thus, he NP
au obusos
'buses' in
(2
a) and he cli ic
en
'(00 i / hem in
(2
b) ecei e only Pa i i e Case:
236
(2)
a. Dem& no ci cula an au obusos
omo ow will no ci cula e buses
'Buses will no ci cula e omo ow'
b. Demh no en ci cula an
omo ow will no (o ) hema ci cula e
The in e na1 a gumen
au obusos
in
(2
a) is an NP. The e o e, i is no compa ible wi h
s uc u al Case. Howe e , in cases like (3) below, he only ype o Case compa ible wi h he
in e na1 a gumen o he unaccusa i e e b --i.e.
els au obusos
' he buses -- is s uc u al
(Nomina i e). This is so
because i is a
DP:
(3)
Demh no ci cula an els au obusos
omo ow will no ci cula e he buses
The buses will no ci cula e omo ow'
1
.I.
Quan i ied A gumen s
I has been p oposed ha a DP is incompa ible wi h Pa i i e Case, whe eas NP is incompa ible
wi h s uc u al Case. Unde his assump ion, he g amma icali y o
(4)
below, needs o be
accoun ed o . Should he a gumen
es au obusos
' h ee buses' ha e an NP o a DP
analysis?:
(4)
Dem& ci cula an es au obusos
omo ow will ci cula e h ee buses
Th ee buses will ci cula e omo ow'
I should
be
no ed ha
es au obusos
can ha e ei he a speci ic eading o a nonspeci ic
eading. The speci ic in e p e a ion can
be
pa aph ased
as
in
(5):
(5)
Demh ci cula an es dels au obusos
omo ow will ci cula e h ee o he buses
Th ee o he buses will ci cula e omo ow'
I
will p opose ha
es au obusos
in (4) may ha e wo di e en analyses. In one, i is a
quan i ied
NP,
wi h a s uc u e oughly ep esen ed in
(6):
(6)
[QUANT es
[~p
au obusos]]
h ee buses
This s uc u e, which does no con ain a
DP
is assigned Pa i i e Case, and ecei es a
nonspeci ic in e p e a ion ('some h ee buses o o he s').
The ph ase
can
al e na i ely
be
analyzed
as
a quan i ied DP, possibly wi h an emp y head, and a
nume al in a speci ie posi ion. This analysis is in onnally ep esen ed in
(7),
and co esponds
o he speci ic in e p e a ion. The a gumen will
be
assigned s uc u al Case:
(7)
[QUANT
es
[~p
e
[Np
au obusos
I]]
h ee buses
We will now discuss some da a in suppo o ou claim ha he a gumen in (4) can ecei e wo
al e na i e analyses, and wo ypes o Case (s uc u al and inhe en ). Conside he ollowing:
(8)
a. T es au obusos sembla en espa lla s
h ee
(o he) buses seemed damaged
b. Dues pomes s6n d'aquell pome
wo (o he) apples a e om ha apple ee
The de i ed subjec s ecei e s uc u al (Nomina i e) Case. Acco ding o ou p oposal, hey
mus
be
analyzed as DPs, and hei s uc u al ep esen a ion should co espond o
(7).
No e ha
he de i ed subjec s in
(8)
can only ecei e a speci ic in e p e a ion, i.e. ' h ee o he buses',
' wo o he apples' espec i ely.
We should also no e ha he a gumen s ha ecei e Accusa i e om a ECM e b a e always
DPs. Fo ha eason, he a gumen
una aqua el.la
'a wa e colo ' in a sen ence like (9) below
has always a speci ic in e p e a ion, a eading ha makes possible o pa aph ase
una aqua el.la
by 'a pa icula wa e colo ', 'a ce ain wa e colo ', o 'one o he wa e colo s':
(9) Conside o mol imp essionan una aqua el.la
(I) conside e y imp essi e a wa e colo
Tu kish, which exp esses Case mo phologically, o e s us an in e es ing p oo o he ela ion
ha exis s be ween he na u e o he e bal a gumen and he ype o Case ha i is able o
ecei e. Acco ding o Eng (1991), in e na1 a gumen s showing a mo phological ma k o
Accusa i e a e obliga o ily in e p e ed as speci ic in Tu kish. In e nal a gumen s wi hou an
explici mo phological ma k o Case --i.e. he ones ecei ing Pa i i e--, a e in e p e ed as
nonspeci ic. The ollowing examples a e om Eng (1991):
(10) a. Ali bi ki ab-l
al&
Ali one book-Acc bough
'A book is such ha Ali bough i '
b. Ali bi ki ap al&
Ali one book bough
'Ali bough some book o o he '

1.2.
The Cli ic
ENINE
A his poin , i is necessa y o b ie ly discuss he cli ic en Ine 'o i l hem'. I we a gue ha
Accusa i e and Nomina i e Case a e only assigned o DPs, while claiming ha Pa i i e is
assigned o NPs, we mus cla i y which ype o Case he cli ic en Ine may o mus ecei e. We
will dis inguish be ween a Pa i i e en lm and a Geni i e en Ine.
Acco ding o Belle i (1988), en lne ecei es Pa i i e. This is so in he example (2 b) abo e,
whe e he cli ic p onominalizes he NP au obusos 'buses'. Howe e , no all cases o en Ine
cli iciza ion ins an ia e he Pa i i e Case assigned by a e b, because en lne doesn' necessa ily
ecei e Case om a e b. Conside he ollowing examples:
(
1 1) a. To s en eco dem algun, dels seus poemes
all us (o ) hem emembe some, o hislhe poems
'We all emembe some, o hislhe poems'
b. Vaig oba els eus amics i només en aig econiixe dos: en Pe e i en Pau
(I) ha e me you iends and only (o ) hem ha e ecognized wo: Pe e and Pau
'I ha e me you iends and
I
ha e only ecognized wo (o hem): Pe e and Pau'
He e, he cli ic p onominalizes a pa o he di ec objec . This objec is seman ically pa i i e in
each case (see En$ (199 1)). The objec en..algun Ien. .dos 'CL.. somelCL.. wo' deno es a pa
o a de ini e speci ic se (hislhe poemslyou iends). The e b in
(1
1) assigns Accusa i e o
he di ec objec , a quan i ied DP. Thus, he cli ic en lne does no ecei e Case om he e b,
bu om he quan i ie . I is he same Case ha he cli ic en Ine ecei es om an N. Conside
he ollowing examples om Ba a (1987):
(12) a. Se me n' escapen els de alls
CL ( o)me (o )i escape he de ails
The de ails o i escape me'
(12) b. N' han c ema o es les p o es
(o )i ha e bumed all he e idence
They ha e bu ned all he e idence'
These examples show ha he p esence o
en Ine
does no imply ha he e b has assigned
Pa i i e o i s in e na1 a gumen . The cli ic can exp ess Geni i e Case assigned by a quan i ie
o a Noun.
2.
The P ope ies
o
PERS and
NUM
in
No hwes e n Ca alan
We will now u n o discussing he p ope ies o PERS and NUM. Conside he sen ences
exempli ied in (13) om No hwes em Ca alan (see Soli (1973), (1987)), and compa e hem
wi h he ung amma ical (14) om he same dialec :
(13) a. Fal a més b a~os
is needed mo e a ms
'Mo e a ns a e needed'
b. A iba pa en s
a i es ela i es
'(some) ela i es am e'
c. Ha ingu més u is es
has
come mo e ou is s
'Mo e ou is s ha e come'
d. Passa mol s co xes
is passing many ca s
'Many ca s a e passing by'
(14) a. *Fal en més b agos
a e needed mo e anns
(14) b. *Ambenpa en s
a i e ela i es
c. *Han ingu més u is es
ha e come mo e ou is s
d. *Passen mol s co xes
a e passing many ca s
The g amma ical examples in (13) show ha he e is no ag eemen be ween he a gumen and
he e b. In hese examples he e bs a e unaccusa i e and able o assign Pa i i e o hei
in e na1 a gumen , an
NP,
which is a ecep o o Pa i i e Case. These a e impe sonal
sen ences, in he sense ha
AGR
is no speci ied o
PERS
o NUM. The No hwes e n
Ca alan sen ences in (15) below a e also impe sonal (see Sola (1973),
(1987)):
(15) a. Hi ha mol s hbmens
he e is many men
The e a e many men'
b. Enguany es plan a h mol s a b es
his yea CL(=people) will-~lan 3,d/~i~~ many ees
'People will plan many ees his yea '
c. Plou
ains
'I
ains'
The examples in (13) and (15) show a de ec i e e bal mo phology. The e b is in lec ed o
3 d/sing., which is he mo phological exp ession o absence o Pe son and Numbe in Ca alan.
Ou analysis p edic s ha a sen ence can no be impe sonal i he in e na1 a gumen o an
unaccusa i e e b is a
DP.
This p edic ion is bo ne ou :
(16) Vind h
10
pa e
will-come he a he
The a he will come'
The in e na1 a gumen , a DP, is incompa ible wi h Pa i i e Case. The only a ailable Case o
his DP is Nomina i e, gi en ha he e b is unaccusa i e. AGR mus hen con ain [+PERS].
The No hwes e n Ca alan examples (17) show ha he mos p ominen a gumen (i.e. he
in e nal DP) mus ag ee wi h he e b:
(17)
a. Vind an els pa en s
will-c0me3~d/~l~~ he ela i es
The ela i es will come'
b. Els pa en s ind an a ia
he ela i es will-~0me3~d/~l~~ soon
c.
*
Vind A els pa en s
will-come3,d/,ing he ela i es
d
.
Nosal es a iba em a ia
we will-come~ s ~p~u soon
The ung amma ical sen ence (17 c) shows ha he in e nal DP equi es Numbe ag eemen also,
when i is he mos p ominen a gumen . Nomina i e Case is assigned o he in e nal DP subjec
in he g amma ical examples abo e when he DP unde goes mo emen o a posi ion whe e i
can be go e ned by
AGR
[+PERS]. Le us assume ha his posi ion is [Spec,VP]. The
ollowing ep esen s he abs ac con igu a ion o exa nple (16), whe e de ails i ele an o he
p esen discussion ha e been ommi ed:
e e en ial con en . P o is allowed in a gi en s uc u e i i ag ees wi h a unc ional ca ego y
able o assign ea u es o p o. In (30), NUM ag eemen wi h he e b ia AGR will be enough
o eco e and iden i y Accusa i e p o:
(30) a. Les ines es ja es poden ob i
he windows al eady SE may open
'The windows may al eady be opened'
b. [[Les ines esli [ja es podenpiu ob i p oi]]
The e a e o he ac s showing ha he Case assigned o he in e nal a gumen in
(27)
and
(28)
is
no Nomina i e. The e idence can
be
ound in sen ences simila o hose showing
SEARB:
hose wi h unaccusa i e p onominal e bs. Sola (1987) no es ha he e is a con as in
g amma icali y be ween
(3
1 a) and (3
1
b) in No hwes e n Ca alan:
(3 1) a. Amb aquelles ne ades es an en onsa o es les eulades del poble
wi h hese snows SE ~ollapsed3,d/~l,
al1
he oo s o he own
Tha snow caused all he oo s o own o collapse'
b. *Amb aquelles ne ades es a en onsa o es les eulades del poble
wi h hese snows SE collap~ed3~d/~i,~
a11
he oo s o he own
The p onominal e b en onsa -se ' o collapse' is unaccusa i e, he e o e i is unable o assign
Accusa i e Case. The only (s uc u al) Case a ailable o he
DP
is Nomina i e. The e o e, hese
ypes o sen ences a e pe sonal, like he g amma ical Jo m'en onso,
u
'en onses, e c.
'I
collapse, you collapse', e c.
We
will now discuss an in e es ing ac in Cen al Ca alan. The e is no NUM ag eemen when
he in e nal a gumen o a sen ence wi h SEARB is a de ini e cli ic, as in (32 a) and (33 a)
below. NUM ag eemen is, howe e , possible in (34), whe e he cli ic is Pa i i e (i.e. non
de ini e):

(32) a. No se us ap ecia gai e
no SE youp~~~ app ecia q dlsing e y much
'Y
ou a e no app ecia ed e y much'
b.
*No se us ap ecien gai e
no SE youp~~~ app e~ia e3~dl~l~~ e y much
(33) a. No se'ls ha ac a
bé
no SE hem ha q dlsing ea ed well
'They ha e no been well ea ed'
b.
*No se'ls han ac a
bé
no SE hem ha q d/,lW ea ed well
(34) a. No se'n
.
eu, de um
no SE EN(=o i ) sees, o smoke
'Smoke, i is no seen'
b.
No se'n euen, de mi acles
no SE EN(=o hem) see, o mi acles
'Mi acles, hey a e no seen'
The beha io o de ini e and non de ini e cli ics can
be
explained i we accep he hypo hesis
ha de ini e cli ics a e hemsel es
AGROBJECT
(see Fe nández-So iano (1989), Co din
(1990)). Hence, hey may no es ablish
a
new ag eemen ela ion. Tha is, he cli ics us /els
'youl hem' in (32) and (33) espec i ely may no exp ess
AGRSUBJECT
and
AGROBJECT
ag eemen a he same ime.
Conside now he da a in (35), which belongs
o
a subdialec o Cen al Ca alan, and whe e he
de ini e cli ic exp esses
AGROBJECT.
The Pas pa iciple ag ees wi h he cli ic in Numbe and
Gende :
(35) a. No se les ha ac ades
bé
no SE hem~~~ has ea ed~~~g~m well
TheyFEM ha e no been well ea ed'
b. No se
1'
ha ac ada
bé
no SE he has ea ed~,~~~~ well
'She has no been well ea ed'
Se
les~~g
cons uc ions in Cen al Ca alan show a s ong p e e ence o p o o e a de ini e
cli ic when a [-human]
DP
is p onominalized. P o,
as
opposed o he cli ic
la
'he ' es ablishes
NUM
ag eemen , because p o needs o ag ee in o de o be iden i ied:
(36) a. Aques es
copes,
no es poden en a p o amb aigua calen a
hese cups ,no SE can3,dlplu cleanp o wi h ho wa e
These cups canno be cleaned wi h ho wa e '
b. ??I?~ques es copes, no se les po en a amb aigua calen a
hese cups no SE hema Can3,dlsing clean wi h ho wa e
5.
The
P edica e
HAVER-HI
Impe sonal sen ences wi h he e b ha e -hi (li .:' o ha e- he eCL'; ' he e be') show a beha io
simila o hose wi h SEARB:
(37) a. No hi ha
pa
no he ec~ has b ead
The e is no b ead'
b.
Hi
ha ia un home
he a had a man
'The e was a man
The cli ic
hi
' he e' seems o ha e been inco po a ed o he e b
ha e
' o ha e' in he lexicon,
o o m he p edica e
ha e -hi.
Fo me ly,
ha e
' o ha e' exp essed possession in Ca alan. The
possessi e meaning o
ha e
s ill emains in some cases:
(38) a. Aques a noia, no 1' hau hs
pas
his gi l, no he c~ will-ha~e2~d,~i~~ NEG.
This gi l, you won' ha e he '
b. Aixb cos a d'ha e
his is ha d o o ha e
Thls is ha d o ha e'
In sen ences o he
ype
(37), he cli ic
hi
beha es like a loca i e subjec (see To ego (1989)).
In o he wo ds,
hi
blocks he ex e na1 a gumen o
ha e
' o ha e' when i inco po a es in o
his e bal o m in he lexicon.
Hi
also blocks Nomina i e Case assignmen , p e en ing he
ealiza ion o a subjec . E idence ha
hi
is no a ' ee' loca i e, bu
an
inco po a ed cli ic, is
shown by he ac ha he cli ic may no be subs i u ed by a eal loca i e exp ession:
(39) a. Hi ha ia
un
noi
HI
had a boy
'The e was a boy'
b.
*All& ha ia un noi
' he e had a boy'
c. *Un noi ha ia a Banyoles
a boy had in Banyoles
The inco po a ed cli ic
hi
impe sonalizes he e b by bloclung
PERS,
which is blocking
Nomina i e assigmen acco ding o ou p oposal. The e o e, i is impossible o ha e NUM
ag eemen be ween he e b and i s only a gumen in No hwes e n Ca alan:
(40)
a. Hi hau & pocs hbmens (No hwes e n)
HI will-ha~e3~dl~i~~ ew men
The e will
be
ew men'
b.
*HI hau an pocs hbmens
HI
wiii-ha~e3~d/~l~ ew men
c. Hi ha ia pas issos de xocola a
HI
had3 dlsing chocola e cakes
The e we e chocola e cakes'
d
.
*HI ha ien pas issos de xocola a
HI
had3 d/plu chocola e cakes
Ou hypo hesis p edic s ha sen ences
(40
b, d) will
be
well o ned in Cen al Ca alan, and his
is he case. The e is NUM ag eemen be ween he a gumen and he e b, e en hough he
cons uc ion is an impe sonal sen ence. This is an in e es ing ac , gi en ha he cli ic hi blocks
PERS and
NUM
in he majo i y o Ca alan dialec s.
I
will sugges ha his phenomenon occu s
because hi is inco po a ed in o he e b a he lexical le el, which is no he case wi h SEARB.
This hypo hesis appea s o
be
con i med when one conside s Spanish equi alen cons uc ions.
The appea ance o
y
(=hi
)
blocks PERS and NUM:
(41)
a.
Hay mosqui os
has-Y mosqui oes
The e a e mosqui oes'
b. *Hany mosqui os
ha e-Y mosqui oes
I
y
is non o e ,
NUM
may no
be
abso bed in Spanish. The ollowing sen ences a e bo h
gmma ical:
(42) a. Había mosqui os
had3 d/sing mosqui oes
b. Habían mosqui os
had3 aplu mosqui oes
The e we e mosqui oes'
6.
NUM
Ag eemen
I
ha e shown ha NUM ag eemen be ween he e b and an a gumen doesn' necessa ily mean
ha he a gumen ecei es Nomina i e Case. Nomina i e is assigned by PERS, no by NUM.
Howe e , when
PERS
is speci ied and assigns Nomina i e, i selec s NUM obliga o ily (i.e.
(23 a)). NUM ag eemen ob ains be ween he e b and i s mos p ominen a gumen .
The e o e, when he e is a Nomina i e a gumen , i will also ag ee wi h he e b in NUM
ea u es. Hence, he ung amma icali y o (43) ollows om he ac ha he e b ag ees in
NUM wi h he objec , bu no wi h he subjec :
(43) *Els in an s p e e eix aques joc
he child en p e e s his game
Now he ques ion is he ollowing: Wha causes he p esencelabsence o numbe ag eemen
be ween he e b and i s in e na1 a gumen in Ca alan dialec s when he sen ence is
[-PERS]?
We wan o p opose ha numbe ag eemen wi h an in e nal a gumen depends on how
p edica ion is licenced a
LF
in each dialec . Conside again he ollowing examples:
(44)
a. Vind ii pa en s (No hwes e n)
will-~omg~d/~i~~ ela i es
b. Vind an pa en s (Cen al)
will-come~ ~p~w ela i es
'Rela i es will come'

These examples sa is y hema ic equi emen s and he in e nal a gumen sa is ies Visibili y
equi emen s in (45 a, b) because i is assigned Case. Cen al Ca alan appea s o s ill equi e
ano he condi ion o he sen ence o
be
in e p e ed as a p edica i e s uc u e. We sugges ha
sen ence (45 a) can no be in e p e ed in Cen al Ca alan. When a p edica e selec s one o mo e
a gumen s, one o hem has o be o e ly ma ked as p ominen in his dialec . P ominence is
exp essed by NUM ag eemen be ween he ensed e b and he a gumen . As was said, NUM
ag eemen depends on he hie a chical ela ions be ween PERS and NUM, bu also on he
hie a chical ela ions be ween a gumen s. The hema ic hie a chy needs also o be ' isible' in
Cen al Ca dan.
A
LF,
he hema ic condi ion in (45) excludes
(44
a) in Cen al Ca alan:
(45)
P ominence Condi ion
When a p edica e selec s one o mo e a gumen s, one o he a gumen s has o be
in e p e ed as he p ominen a gumen o he p edica ion. P ominence is exp essed
h ough numbe ag eemen be ween he e b and he a gumen . The hema ic hie a chy is
espec ed.
This condi ion is always ac i e in Cen al Ca alan, e en in impe sonal ([-PERS]) sen ences. By
con as , he No hwes e n a ie y does no equi e (45) in impe sonal sen ences. NUM
ag eemen is only equi ed when an a gumen is assigned Nomina i e Case in No hwes e n.
We mus ecall ha [+PERS] always selec s [+NUMI in Ca alan dialec s, and ha [-PERS]
selec s [-NUMI in No hwes em.
Sen ences wi h a 'sel -su icien ' e b, ha is, a e b ha doesn' need an a gumen o exp ess
p edica ion --like
plou e
' o ain --, will no mani es [+NUMI:
(46)
a. Plou
[-PERS,-NUM]
ains
b. *Plou
[-PERS,+NUMsing]
c. *Plouen
[-PERS
,+NUMplu ]
Wha excludes sen ences
(46
b, c)?. Recall ha posi i e speci ica ion o PERS and NUM mus
be
checked wi h an a gumen and appea su ixed o he e b.
A
sen ence will
be
ill- onned i
[+NUMI is no checked, he same way ha he sen ence is ill- onned i [Tense] is no
amalgama 4 o he e b. The unc ion o [+PERS] and [+NUMI is ha o ma king ag eemen ,
hence, hese elemen s neeú o
be
exp essed in a e b
as
well
as
in an a gumen .
A
sen ence like (47) will
be
speci ied [+PERS,+NUM]. The ac ha i may ha e an a bi a y
in e p e a ion does no ollow om he unc ional elemen s in he sen ence, bu ollows om
o he ac o s:
(47)
a.
p o
uquen
[+P~S,+NUMJ
a la
po a
( hey) a e
knocking
on he doo
b. p o
~~~~~~~[+PERs,+NuMI
a
la
po a
( hey=someone) a e knocking on he doo
7.
Conclusion
Suppose ha he e a e wo possible ways o assign [PERS] (o Nomina i e Case) and NUM o
an a gumen : by go e nmen , i he a gumen is in [Spec,VP]; o by Spec-head ag eemen . The
la e is possible o DPs, bu no o NPs. Conside he schema a
(48)
and
(49):
IP
n
I'
h
I
VP
[+PERS]
[+NUMI
I has been claimed ha he ac ha a subjec ag ees wi h he e b does no imply ha i mus
necessa ily be assigned Nomina i e. I has been ou con en ion ha PERS and NUM igge
di e en ypes o ela ions be ween a subjec and he e b. E idence o his claim
can
be
ound
in he wo Ca alan dialec s we ha e discussed. I is possible, and emp ing, o p opose ha
hese wo unc ional elemen s p ojec on o wo sepa a e syn ac ic ca ego ies. Howe e , he
ques ion o whe he
PERS
and
NUM
cons i u e sepa a e X-ba p ojec ions o no is no c ucial
a his s age o ou esea ch. He e, ou goa1 has simply been o acqui e a be e knowledge o
he ac o s in e ening in ag eemen ela ions.
This esea ch has been suppo ed by a DGICYT g an PB 89-0324, awa ded o he UAB.
Some e sions o his pape we e ead a a Wo kshop on Cen al Romance Languages,
Uni e si é de Gen& e, July 1990; a he P ime Coloquio de G amá ica Gene a i a, UAM
Mad id, Ma ch 1991; and a he Uni e si A di Venezia, May 1991. I would like o hank hese
audiences o hei ques ions and commen s.
I
am also indeb ed o Joan Sola and o my
colleages a he UAB Linguis ics Semina , o Ca me Picallo in pa icula , o hei sugges ions
o p e ious d a s o his manusc ip .
Re e ences
Ba a, A. (1987) 'Enca a n'hi ha més. (En o n de
en
i alguns SNs geni ius',
Llengua i
Li e a u a
2,377-427.
Belle i, A. (1987) 'Los inacusa i os como asignado es de caso', in
Sin axis de las lenguas
ománicas
V. Demon e and M.F.Lagunilla (eds), El A que o, Mad id, 167-230. See
also
Linguis ic Inqui y
19.1, 1-34.
Co din, P. (1990) 'Da i e Cli ic Doubling and Visibili y o Case in T en ino', unpublished ms.
Uni . di T en o.
En$, M. (1991) The Seman ics o Speci ici y',
Linguis ic Inqui y
22.1 1-26.
Fe nández So iano,
0.
(1989)
Reccidn
y
Ligamien o en español: Aspec os del pa áme o del
suje o nulo,
PhD disse a ion, U.A.M., Mad id.
Kayne,
R.
(1989) 'Face s o Romance Pas Pa iciple Ag eemen ', in
Dialec Va ia ion and he
Theo y o G amma ,
P.
Beninca (ed), Fo is, Do d ech , 85-103.
Picallo,
C.
(1991) 'El posesi o y el p incipio "E í ese el P onomb e"', pape ead a he P ime
Coloquio de G amá ica Gene a i a, M a lo es de la Sie a, Mad id.
Raposo,
E.
(1987) 'Case Theo y and In l- o-Comp: The In lec ed In ini i e in Eu opean
Po uguese',
Linguis ic Inqui y
18,
85-
109.
Solh,
J.
(1973)
Es udis de Sin axi Ca alanal2,
Edicions 62, Ba celona
Sol&,
J.
(1987)
Qües ions Con o e ides de Sin axi Ca alana,
Edicions 62, Ba celona.