This chapter and the next two focus on wh-movement and what it can tell us about locality. We look first at the basic properties of wh-movement, then at the evidence that this movement relation is apparently unbounded, followed by a discussion of the very important class of ‘island phenomena’, which lead to the conclusion that wh-movement is not in fact unbounded despite initial appearances. We next look at the subjacency condition, a condition intended to provide a unified account of island phenomena. Finally, we look at the theory of barriers, an important refinement of subjacency.

This chapter looks at the overall goals of generative syntax. It then moves on to a discussion of levels of adequacy for linguistic theory. This leads to a very brief discussion of the development of generative theory since its inception in the 1950s, up to its current version, known as the Minimalist Programme. Finally, we begin the discussion of hierarchy with an exposition of the X-bar theory of phrase structure and the notion of constituency tests as a probe for hierarchical structure.

In this final chapter we look at three main topics. First, we summarise and give an overview of the parameters we have seen in the preceding chapters, to some extent revising them as we go along. Second, we look at the theory of parameters and introduce the notion of parameter hierarchy. Third, we consider some future questions and directions for the theory.

This chapter introduces the theory of abstract Case. Case theory provides an account of what causes A-movement and predicts that many infinitival subject positions cannot be filled with overt arguments, although several types of infinitives have to be distinguished. This leads to a discussion of control phenomena and the movement theory of control.

In this chapter we extend the role of asymmetric c-command still further, showing how it can derive the linear order of terminal nodes by the Linear Correspondence Axiom (LCA). We start by looking at how X′-theory can be parametrised so as to provide an account of cross-linguistic word-order variation in terms of the Head Parameter, before moving on to the c-command-based theory of linear order based on the LCA. We then look at the consequences of LCA-based theory for the analysis of cross-linguistic word-order variation.

Here we first look carefully at how Featural Relativised Minimality applies to wh-movement. This leads to a discussion of the relation between phases and Featural Relativised Minimality. We consider whether it is possible or desirable to reduce phase-based locality to Relativised Minimality or vice versa.

In this chapter we first look at the DP-hypothesis, the idea that nominals are DPs rather than NPs, and that NP is a complement of D. We then refine this idea, motivating a tripartite structure for the nominal, analogous to what we saw for the clause in the previous chapter. Next, we focus on the argument structure of nominals, comparing and contrasting with argument structure in the clause. Finally, we briefly describe the ways in which grammatical functions are marked in nominals, again contrasting this with the clause.

The goal of this chapter is to develop a theory of Formal Features that will capture and unify many of the generalisations we have arrived at in previous chapters and, more specifically, to develop a theory of Case, agreement and movement, showing how these three notions are intertwined. The core notion is the Agree relation.

In this chapter, we look at empty pronouns: cases of ‘silent deep anaphora’. More specifically, our focus is on null subjects, i.e. silent pronominal subjects, in a range of languages. We identify three main types of null-subject languages and attempt to explain the typology. This leads us to the investigation of the parametric variation across languages.

The chapter provides an introduction to Systemic Functional Grammar, in the context of Systemic Functional Linguistics. It introduces the central concept of choice between language features and the use of networks to model that choice. One such choice lies between process types and this is explained as important to the concept of semantic field used in the book. Systemic Functional Grammar describes the relationship between lexis and grammar as a continuum; one challenge is to specify how the grammar and specific lexical items relate to one another. Three responses to this challenge are discussed: Hasan’s use of system networks to distinguish between the features of near-synonyms; Matthiessen’s use of Levin’s verb classes to add detail to the notion of process type, and the approach taken by the Cardiff grammar, specifically by Fawcett, Neale, and Chrispin.