A Simpler Syntax of Voice: Preliminaries based on Japanese Data
Chigchi Bai
January 2025 

This paper proposes to simplify the clause building mode by introducing arguments as potential subjects (sbj) at various heights through Voice heads, which constitute Split VoiceP. The gist of the Split VoiceP analysis to propose is that Voice is the only argument-introducer (specifically, sbj-introducer) in the inventory of functional heads available by UG and that the lexicon does not specify a particular type of Voice head. Being simply a sbj-introducer, Voice has nothing to do with the thematic role of DP it introduces as sbj. Any of so-called external, internal, or (high) applied arguments can be introduced by Voice, under Free Merge. Multiple arguments can be introduced as different sbjs by different Voice heads. A last-merged sbj is promoted to the nominative subject (SBJ), with others remaining non-nominative elements. The variation of the grammatical voice arises from different types and heights of merge in the Voice doiman, not from voice-specifying features on Voice heads in the lexicon, and thus they are unified and interconnected by Voice. Clauses are thus built by introducing arguments as sbjs. Clause building is ultimately minimizable to the simplest syntactic operation Merge.

Format:	[ pdf ]
Reference:	lingbuzz/008739 (please use that when you cite this article)
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keywords:	voice, passive, causative, argument, subject, merge, japanese, agent, patient, external argument, internal argument, free merge, subjecthood, relativized minimality, morphology, syntax
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