Question-word movement in Tiv

Abstract

This paper investigates question formation in the Tiv language. It examines the possibility of Q-word extraction from the subject position affecting the agreement marker in the Tiv language. Do prepositions have inherent stranding features that seem to license or block complete Q-word extraction from the clausal adjunct position? The paper submits that the canonical agreement marker “a” is sensitive Q-word extraction, but more sensitive to the tense of the construction from which a Q-word is extracted. It shows that Chomsky’s multiple specifier hypothesis cannot serve as an escape hatch for all constructions. The paper submits that [+/- complement] feature is an inherent feature of prepositions that come to play from the numeration in the Tiv language: the [- complement] feature of a preposition licenses preposition stranding, while the [+ complement] feature of a preposition cannot license preposition stranding, and might at least require a resumptive pronoun in the extraction site.

Keywords

Tiv; minimalist program; Q-word; extraction; resumption

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