Abandoning the EPP-feature in Polish dual copula clauses by redefining the predication relation

This paper questions the logic behind the presence and the working of the EPP-feature in Polish dual copula clauses (henceforth, DCCs) with the pronominal copula to, the verbal copula być ‘to be’, and two nominative 3rd person DPs, as represented in Bondaruk (2019). The criticism follows from: (i)...

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Main Author: Rafał Jurczyk
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin 2021-12-01
Series:LingBaW
Subjects:
Online Access:https://czasopisma.kul.pl/index.php/LingBaW/article/view/13452
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author Rafał Jurczyk
author_facet Rafał Jurczyk
author_sort Rafał Jurczyk
collection DOAJ
description This paper questions the logic behind the presence and the working of the EPP-feature in Polish dual copula clauses (henceforth, DCCs) with the pronominal copula to, the verbal copula być ‘to be’, and two nominative 3rd person DPs, as represented in Bondaruk (2019). The criticism follows from: (i) – Chomsky’s (2000, 2001) downward Agree operation; (ii) – the view that the predicator encodes the predication relation between the pre-copular subject and the post-copular predicate; (iii) – selective multiple Agree, whereby the satisfaction of the EPP- and uφ-features is divorced. Adopting (i)–(iii), Bondaruk’s scrutiny allows either the pre- or the post-copular DP to occupy SpecTP, thereby accounting for DCCs’ agreement and configurational patterns, but, simultaneously, suffering from theoretical shortcomings it creates. We argue for a simpler satisfaction of the subject requirement which does not rely on the troublesome EPP-feature, but is motivated formally by the relation between T and the higher DP. We derive this requirement by following Zeiljstra’s (2012) upward Agree which only takes place once interpretable features c-command uninterpretable features, and Rothstein’s (2004) approach which is based on a neo-Davidsonian event semantics and which argues that be and its complement form a complex predicate, separated from the pre-copular DP both semantically and syntactically.
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spelling doaj-art-d548f6fbc24e4a74a97a18d1246652c02025-01-21T05:13:47ZengThe John Paul II Catholic University of LublinLingBaW2450-51882021-12-01710.31743/lingbaw.13452Abandoning the EPP-feature in Polish dual copula clauses by redefining the predication relationRafał Jurczyk0WSB University in Opole This paper questions the logic behind the presence and the working of the EPP-feature in Polish dual copula clauses (henceforth, DCCs) with the pronominal copula to, the verbal copula być ‘to be’, and two nominative 3rd person DPs, as represented in Bondaruk (2019). The criticism follows from: (i) – Chomsky’s (2000, 2001) downward Agree operation; (ii) – the view that the predicator encodes the predication relation between the pre-copular subject and the post-copular predicate; (iii) – selective multiple Agree, whereby the satisfaction of the EPP- and uφ-features is divorced. Adopting (i)–(iii), Bondaruk’s scrutiny allows either the pre- or the post-copular DP to occupy SpecTP, thereby accounting for DCCs’ agreement and configurational patterns, but, simultaneously, suffering from theoretical shortcomings it creates. We argue for a simpler satisfaction of the subject requirement which does not rely on the troublesome EPP-feature, but is motivated formally by the relation between T and the higher DP. We derive this requirement by following Zeiljstra’s (2012) upward Agree which only takes place once interpretable features c-command uninterpretable features, and Rothstein’s (2004) approach which is based on a neo-Davidsonian event semantics and which argues that be and its complement form a complex predicate, separated from the pre-copular DP both semantically and syntactically. https://czasopisma.kul.pl/index.php/LingBaW/article/view/13452EPPpredicationpropositiondual copula clauses (DCCs)Agree
spellingShingle Rafał Jurczyk
Abandoning the EPP-feature in Polish dual copula clauses by redefining the predication relation
LingBaW
EPP
predication
proposition
dual copula clauses (DCCs)
Agree
title Abandoning the EPP-feature in Polish dual copula clauses by redefining the predication relation
title_full Abandoning the EPP-feature in Polish dual copula clauses by redefining the predication relation
title_fullStr Abandoning the EPP-feature in Polish dual copula clauses by redefining the predication relation
title_full_unstemmed Abandoning the EPP-feature in Polish dual copula clauses by redefining the predication relation
title_short Abandoning the EPP-feature in Polish dual copula clauses by redefining the predication relation
title_sort abandoning the epp feature in polish dual copula clauses by redefining the predication relation
topic EPP
predication
proposition
dual copula clauses (DCCs)
Agree
url https://czasopisma.kul.pl/index.php/LingBaW/article/view/13452
work_keys_str_mv AT rafałjurczyk abandoningtheeppfeatureinpolishdualcopulaclausesbyredefiningthepredicationrelation