An event-based approach to PRO and Control
Roland Hinterhölzl
September 2020
 

In this paper, I will argue for a novel approach to PRO, control and raising that is crucially based on the role of (infinitival) tense and its interpretation as a predicate on situation arguments as well as on a presuppositional approach to pronominal reference. I will argue that PRO lacks the presuppositional features of lexical pronouns that a) discriminate their antecedent and b) determine their phonological make-up. In particular, I will argue that control breaks down into a number of dependence relations among which a semantic relation that involves the s-selection of a C-head with a specified [participant] feature (+/- author) and a binding relation between the dedicated controller and PRO in cases of exhaustive obligatory control. Furthermore, I will present evidence that PRO is case-licensed by infinitival Tense and explicate the semantic relation between Tense and PRO that underlies thiscCase assignment.
Format: [ pdf ]
Reference: lingbuzz/005568
(please use that when you cite this article)
Published in: Venice, Italy
keywords: raising, control, pro, presuppositional approach to (pro)nominal reference, situation-based nominals, tense as a predicate relating situations, semantics, syntax
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