Putting in Order the Spanish DP

Abstract

PP arguments within Spanish DPs can appear in any order to the right of the N. However, PP arguments display a strict hierarchical relation (i.e., possessors ccommand agents and agents c-command objects) well documented in binding relations and extraction possibilities out of Spanish DPs. Previous analyses (Torrego 1987; Ormazabal 1991; Ticio 2003, 2005, among others) have postulated structures displaying their specifiers to the right, stylistic movements, or massive overt movements to capture the divergence between hierarchical and phonological orders. I argue that none of these additional mechanisms are needed to explain the disparity between hierarchical and phonological orders in the Spanish DP. I propose that the different properties of argumental PPs and chain resolution at the phonological interface account for the differences in hierarchical and surface orders. The analysis also makes important predictions borne out by some other less studied data, such as nominal ellipsis and partial cliticization.