The structure of Comp in Slavic: some evidence from Slovac

Laburpena

Several phenomena concerning multiple questions suggest that Slavic languages can be split in two groups. Rudin (1988) under the GB-framework, distinguishes those groups by means of a condition saying that multiple adjunction to the Spec of CP is not possible. We point out that several problems arise with that view, and propose that it is the (un)availability of Comp recursivity that discriminates such languages. It is the availability of Comp recursivity that accounts for the following facts: a) each preposed wh-element finds a landing site after movement (when no Comp recursivity exists, multiple wh-preposing will be understood as actually involving movement of a verbal projection to the Spec of CP); b) multiple wh-movement from inside an embedded clause is not possible (we give a Subjacency-based account once CP has been adopted as weak barrier); c) clitics have to appear to the right of the first wh-element. c) follows from further proposals about T in Slavic languages: a) it is generated above Agr; b) it is the landing site for clitics; c) it has to raise to C at SS, since it is an operator. The main burden of proof comes from Slovak, taken as paradigm of the Slavic group exhibiting Comp recursivity.