Exhaustive control as functional restructuring

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter provides general background on restructuring and the distinction between exhaustive and partial control, and defends the generalization that exhaustive control positively correlates with restructuring. It argues that the best way of making sense of the correlation is via the proposal that exhaustive control predicates realize functional heads that instantiate monoclausal raising structures whereas partial control predicates are lexical and instantiate biclausal PRO-control structures. The proposal is further substantiated with other empirical considerations that track the distinction in the expected way, taken mostly from English but also including data on polarity item licensing in Italian. Following this, the proposal is shown to hold up against various apparent objections, and the chapter concludes by articulating a set of outstanding questions that guide the remainder of the book.