Unifying Antisymmetry and Bare Phrase Structure

Abstract

This chapter discusses the challenges involved in unifying Antisymmetry and Bare Phrase Structure (BPS) and develops a proposal that captures the insights of both theories. There are two problems in formulating a theory of phrase structure which retains the core properties of both Antisymmetry and BPS. The first has to do with the theoretical framework in which Antisymmetry was developed, namely X-Bar Theory. Kayne’s original formulation does not translate into BPS in a straightforward way. As will become clear, choices have to be made about how to reformulate the LCA under BPS. I will consider various proposals for this as I proceed. The second problem deals with a particular aspect of BPS that seems irreconcilable with Antisymmetry, namely the initial merger of two heads. When two heads are merged at the outset of a derivation, they c-command each other, in violation of the LCA. I refer to this as the Initial Merger Problem.