Introduction

Abstract

This chapter introduces the phenomena that will be discussed in the remainder of the book, discusses how these are modelled in a variety of frameworks, and how human beings process such filler-gap dependencies. The chapter concludes with five overarching questions, each of which is the topic of subsequent chapters: (1) What is the possible range of filler-gap dependency types? In particular, what patterns arise when there are multiple gaps?; (2) Is there a common constraint at work in most or all island phenomena?; (3) What are the advantages or disadvantages of movement-based versus non-movement-based approaches? (4) How can a theory of grammar account for the fact that some (but not other) island violations have gradient acceptability, are prone to frequency effects, and are sensitive to contextual information? (5) How can unbounded dependency constructions be learned by speakers? Does the evidence favor nativist approaches or domain-general experience-based approaches?