On The Syntactic Derivation Of The English Exceptional Case-marking Construction

The research goal of this thesis is to provide a principled account for the syntactic derivation of the English Exceptional Case-marking (ECM) construction as exemplified by sentences like We believe her to be innocent. On an observational level, such a construction involves a transitive verb(believe) followed by a noun phrase (NP)(her), and then an infinitival predicate(to be innocent). The NP in the postverbal position in the ECM construction has mixed properties, some subject-like and some object-like. On one hand, the postverbal NP is thematically related to the predicate of the embedded clause, it is the thematic subject of the embedded infinitive complement clause. On the other hand, the postverbal NP in the ECM construction displays several properties usually associated with direct objects rather than with subjects. For instance, when the postverbal NP is pronominal, this NP appears in the Objective or Accusative Case form (a typical property of direct object), rather than the Nominative Case form of the subject.Since it is normal to assign Nominative Case to the subject of a clause and it is exceptional for a subject to have its Case marked externally from outside its containing TP, the relevant phenomenon is generally referred to as Exceptional Case-marking. For obvious reasons, an infinitive clause with an Accusative subject is known as an ECM clause, and a verb which selects an ECM clause as its complement is called an ECM verb. The special syntactic and semantic properties of English ECM clauses set them apart from other clauses in this language, suggesting their special status. They differ from superficially similar-looking constructions like Control Constructions and Raising Constructions in a number of important ways.There are currently two main competing approaches found in the framework of Generative Syntax. After a careful examination of these approaches, this thesis shows that neither of them could provide a satisfactory explanation of all the relevant syntactic and semantic properties of this construction. The earlier movement analysis can account for the word order facts. However, it has difficulties in accounting for the landing site of the raised embedded subject in the main clause and also the extraction facts about this construction. Although the non-movement analysis can account for certain interpretational facts, it does not provide a good explanation for the interpolated adverbials and verbal particles.This thesis provides an alternative account of the syntactic derivation of the English ECM construction in the light of the spirit of Phase Theory, the latest development of the Minimalist Program in Generative Syntax. Under the alternative phase-based account proposed in this thesis, ECM clauses are defective clauses (i.e., clauses which are TPs but not CPs) instead of a phase, thus extraction is possible from the subject of a defective clause, the relevant extraction and sub-extraction facts about the ECM construction can be well accounted for. According to a phase head in the ECM construction can "hands over" its Case-assignment and agreement feature to the head immediately beneath it, we can provide a straightforward account for why the ECM subject can be followed by an adverbial or verbal particle which modifies the main clause verb.It should be noted that the alternative analysis proposed in this thesis is essentially a kind of movement account. However, this new movement analysis differs substantially from the original movement analysis. This account assumes a phase-based view and can have a satisfactory explanation for those facts that the original movement account could not explain.