Word order and case in Kashmiri

"This dissertation explores the word order in Kashmiri, focussing mainly on the positions where subjects and objects are licensed. One important respect in which the grammar of Kashmiri language differs from all other Indo-Aryan languages is the appearance of the finite verb in the clause second position in declarative matrix clauses and ki (subordinate) clauses. This ""verb-second"" phenomenon that we notice in Kashmiri is found elsewhere only in the languages belonging to the Germanic family (minus English). The problem that arises is the following: what is the structure of verb-second clauses? The standard account of Germanic analyzes matrix as well as subordinate clauses as Complementizer Phrases (CPs)--verb moves to Comp accounting for verb second; in subordinate clauses when the Comp is occupied by an overt complementizer the verb has no place to move, hence no verb second (cf. Haider and Prinzhorn 1986). Such an account does not leave any room for variation in verb second found in languages like Kashmiri, Yiddish, and Icelandic. In these languages verb second is found even in those finite complement clauses where there is an overt complementizer. Working within the Principles and Parameters framework (Chomsky 1981, 1986a), where UG is assumed to offer a range of principles and options which can be parameterized in different languages, we develop a model of V2, which restricts the availability of variation in verb-second languages to the possibilities offered by it."

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Linguistics

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Bhatt, Rakesh Mohan

Contributors dc:contributor

• Yoon, Hye Suk James

• Language, Linguistics

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 1994 Bhatt, Rakesh Mohan

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

AAI9503140
(UMI)AAI9503140

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/19535