Measure Phrases and the XP-Condition on Movement

Abstract

One of J.R. Ross's major contributions to constraining the power of transformations has been the Left Branch Condition. In a number of publications, Norbert Corver has tried to show that, at least in Dutch, some violations of this constraint can be found. In Corver (1999), for example, we find the following sentences that seem to violate Ross's condition:(1) Hoeveel uur rust heeft Jan genomen?‘How many hours rest has John taken?’How many hours rest did John take?(2) Hoeveel uuri heeft Jan [ti rust] genomen?‘How many hours has john rest taken?’How many hours did john rest?However, in one of his footnotes to his 1999 article, Corver suggests that extraction of the measure constituent from the NP hoeveel uur rust (‘how many hours’) is only possible with verbs that have a ‘hebben’-like meaning (to have): achterstand hebben (‘to have deficit’, rust nemen (‘to take rest’). This makes the extraction analysis highly unattractive for several reasons, one of which is that these combinations may be replaced by verbs (achterliggen, rusten ‘to lie behind’, ‘to rest’), with the measure constituent having the same function (Jan heeft twee uur gerust, ‘John has two hours rested’). My central claim will be that measure constituents like twee uur in Jan heeft twee uur rust genomen (‘John has two hours rest taken’) can be either specifier of the NP twee uur rust or an independent measure constituent. Preposing is only possible in the case of independent constituents.