如何使用喬姆斯基的最簡方案（minimalist program）分析topicalized sentences？

01-29

topicalization成分（通常是DP或者NP）一般會被移動到spec CP，但別的phrases（比如VP）可以被topicalized嗎？如果可以的話也是移動到spec CP嗎？
另外，如果用MP分析的話，topicalized sentences到底符不符合語法規範？
舉例 this car, i will buy!

buy是及物動詞，如果賓語this car移動到spec CP，那它們的acc feature怎麼解決？

主語 I: SpecvP -&> SpecTP

賓語 this car: CompVP -&> SpecAgrOP [+acc checked] -&> SpecCP [+top checked]

動詞 buy: V -&> AgrO -&> v

感謝@Geek.cs大神給的靈感！！我已經成功地回答了自己提出的問題！！

以下是我的答案，僅供參考：

（因為是老師布置的論文所以是用英文寫的。。。懶得翻譯了將就看吧QAQ）

智商太低不會用樓上大神用的那個畫圖軟體只能掃描手畫圖了。。。不要吐槽我鬼畫符一樣的丑字Orz

Specifically, topicalization is achieved by 「moving the relevant constituent in a more prominent position at the front of the relevant clause, thereby marking it out as the 『topic』 of the sentence」 (Radford, 1997). When analyzing topicalized sentences in the old GB model, one common approach is to adjoin the topicalized expression into the spec position of CP. Other approaches included creating a TopP (top phrase) or movement into spec TP (Radford, 1997). However, if we were to develop a minimalist analysis for topicalization, we must also take features, the unique element of the minimalist program, into consideration.

A Minimalist Analysis of Topicalized Sentences

(a) Neutral version: I have not seen those people.

In order to analyze the topicalized sentence with the MP approach, we must first construct their neutral versions and establish the analysis of topicalization on the basis of them. Above is a tree diagram that illustrates the neutral version of the topicalized sentence 「Those people, I have not seen!」 The neutral version for this sentence without topicalization movement would be 「I have not seen those people」.

Six words are selected from the Lexicon and form the numeration. In this example, the Ns do not c-select any YP. The Ns are [I] and [people]. Therefore, no bar-level is projected. The D [those] then enters the derivation and merge with the N [people] to form a DP. When the V [seen] emerges, it s-selects an Agent [I]. Therefore, merge necessarily applies to satisfy the principle of full interpretation at LF. Subsequently, the null AgrO enters the derivation with weak feature AgrO and +V, followed by the Neg [not] with neg feature only. The T [have] with strong EPP feature and NOM feature then enters the derivation, and it is assumed in MT that any DP, NP or CP can check off an EPP feature because they can all serve as subjects. Thus, the NP [I] would move to spec TP in order to check and eliminate the strong EPP feature of T [have]. By far, T (have) still has the feature [+tense (weak)] that is interpretable to A-P and will never be checked prior spell-out. When AgrS enters the derivation, it is associated with the feature [+T (strong)] which attracts the T with same strong feature [have], to its checking domain. Thus, [have] adjoins to AgrS. Next, in order to check AgrS』s strong phi-features, move targets a category with the same features [I] and moves it into the checking domain of spec AgrSP. At this point, all features that are uninterpretable to the phonological system have been checked, and spell-out is now applied. The derivation converges at PF and the output is sent to the LF. Specifically, AgrO has the feature +V (weak), and V [seen] has the feature ACC (weak), both of which are uninterpretable to C-I and will trigger covert movement at LF. When these two features are checked, the structure building process is completely terminated and the derivation converges at LF.

(b) Topicalized version: Those people, I have not seen!

According to the traditional GB analysis (Radford, 1997), topicalized phrases adjoin to spec of CP when the movement is triggered. However, overt movement of topicalized phrases at PF would violate the principle of procrastination, which suggests that movement should take place in the derivation as late as possible. Topicalized phrases are always the themes that contain weak ACC features in a sentence, and since the ACC feature is weak, it can be check at LF rather than PF. In other words, weak ACC feature is interpretable to A-P, so it should not undergo overt movement prior to spell-out. If it does, the deviation crashes at PF. Thus, we have to find a way to justify the overt movement of topicalized phase during the structural building process, rather than just checking its weak feature off at LF because in this case overt movement would not be triggered at PF. In order to make topicalized version of this sentence grammatical, or, in other words, in order not to violate the principle of procrastination, we can develop a new strong feature called +top to account for the grammaticality of topicalization. This +top feature is similar to the +Q feature in Wh sentences, and they serve the same purpose: to trigger movement of theme (object). Once the +top feature is added to the null C, not moving the topicalized phrase will result in violation of principle of full interpretation. The +top feature is assigned to both the topicalized phrase and the C head, respectively. Since the +top feature assigned to C head is strong, it triggers move and attracts the topicalized phrase with similar feature (+top) to spec of CP, namely, the checking domain of C, to eliminate this strong feature. In this case, the principle of procrastination will not be violated and the derivation will converge, instead of crash, at PF. A trace of the topicalized DP will be left at the original position to stand as object. This is a way to apply move to topicalized phrase in a proper way before sending the output to C-I from A-P. The tree diagram below illustrates the topicalized version of the sentence 「Those people, I have not seen!」

The topical phrases for most of the topicalized sentences in English are NPs and DPs. However, phrases of other kinds can sometimes also serve as targets of topicalization. For example, the sentence 「You must do it carefully」 can be topicalized as 「carefully you must do it」. In this case, the adverb 「carefully」 undergoes overt movement at PF just like the NPs and DPs do. Simply put, if we assume that VPs can be assigned +top feature, VPs can check +top features (e.g. can be topicalized) in the exact same way as NPs and DPs do. Another example of VP topicalization would be 「Sleep, you must!」 The following two tree diagrams illustrate the neutral version and the topicalized version of this sentence, respectively.

Topicalization of Verb Phase (VP)

(d) Topicalized version: Sleep, you must!

The topicalized VP [sleep] is assigned the +top feature that triggers movement.

Reference:

Radford, A. Syntactic Theory and the Structure of English: A Minimalist Approach.

Cambridge, 1997.