Strong Crossover Violations and Binding Principles

by Paul M. Postal

Prepared for ESCOL97
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
November, 1997

Abstract:

The dominant current account of the strong crossover phenomenon is that claims that it follows from Chomsky's Principle C binding condition, referencing R-expression traces in the gap positions of extractions. The present remarks claim that no Principle C account of the strong effect is viable. Two version of the Principle C account are distinguished; the original one involves traces which are empty categories. The more recent one recognizes traces which are full copies of the extracted constituents. It is argued that neither version of the proposal is consistent with the facts of English and, further, that the copy view of traces is independently untenable.

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