A comparative analysis of verb-movement effects in English and Spanish: Pollock and the Minimalist approach.

Abstract

Recent developments in linguistic theory carried out within the Principles and Paramater Model and the Minimalist Program provide an excellent framework for the comparison of languages. In this thesis we use said framework to analyze the Verb-movement phenomena of English and Spanish. We specifically concentrate on the Null Subject parameter and the Verb-movement parameter in order to provide a comparative account of word order differences and similarities between English, Spanish and French. We show that the $\lbrack+/-$ strong) agreement differences are responsible for: (1) the relationship between auxiliary verbs and participles in compound verbal constructions; (2) the placement of adverbs in these constructions, and (3) the movement relationships established in existential constructions and other constructions with auxiliaries.