English, Standard Arabic And French Parameterized Variables Vis-a-vis Wh-question Constructions Within Minimalist Program

In this paper, we focus on the discussion of a number of syntactic features concerning English, Standard Arabic and French wh-question constructions from a minimalist perspective. The specific topics to be covered include:wh-movement and wh-in-situ and how parameters encode syntactic differences between these languages. This paper aims at revealing the mechanism for wh-question formation across the three aforementioned typologically different languages. The perennial question of what explains the underlying difference concerning wh-question constructions across linguistically haunted my mind and spurred me to conduct such a study. In this paper, we try to account for what triggers wh-movement and what licenses the wh-word to remain in-situ in each language. After thoroughly delineating on the working mechanism and the strategies each language advocates in constructing its wh-questions, we culminated in working out the parameters that govern English, Standard Arabic and French wh-questions. The creativity of this paper lies in that we have figured out the parameter governing Standard Arabic wh-question constructions from minimalist program perspective. Since formatic study of Arabic wh-questions is few and most studies are concerned with Arabic dialect. We have also accounted for French optionality vis-a-vis wh-questions and we have assumed that this optionality is just apparent and we have provided our own account vis-a-vis the issue.This thesis is divided into seven chapters. Chapter one introduces the main idea, the objectives, the significance, the creativity of this thesis in addition to the outline and the methodology advocated in this paper.Chapter two reviews the literary work conducted on the topic in hand especially from minimalist program perspective. Moreover, the strengths and weaknesses of these studies are touched upon.Chapter three introduces the theoretical framework and the background from which the thesis is stemmed is touched upon. It reviews the minimalist program and the working mechanism underlying it. viz, Merge and Move operations, Inclusiveness condition, the copy theory of movement, economy principle, the computational system the contribution of the minimalist program, phase-based approach in addition to our-framework.Chapter four delineates on wh-question formation in the three aforementioned languages and puts forth a necessary base to understand them.Chapter five postulates the parameters that govern these languages vis-a-vis wh-question constructions. Trees are drawn when necessary.Chapter six is a brief comparison held between these languages in terms of the way each language constructs its own wh-questions and their similarities and their asymmetries are waded through.Chapter seven is a conclusive part. It contains the main achievements and the limitations of this thesis and puts forth suggestion for further studies.