Object positions

@article{Johnson1991ObjectP,
  title={Object positions},
  author={Kyle B. Johnson},
  journal={Natural Language \& Linguistic Theory},
  year={1991},
  volume={9},
  pages={577-636}
}
  • Kyle B. Johnson
  • Published 1991
  • Linguistics
  • Natural Language & Linguistic Theory
Nominals precede other verbal complements in English. This paper argues against accounts of this fact based on an adjacency requirement on Case assignment, and proposes instead that (1) main verbs in English move out of the VP they head, and (2) nominal complements are forced by the Case Filter to “Object Shift” either to Specifier of VP or to the Specifier of a functional projection that contains VP. 
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