Abstract
The ban on code-switching between a (subject) pronoun and a verb, but not between a lexical DP and a verb, is an enduring puzzle in research on bilingual code-switching. In this paper, we propose an account of these code-switching facts by positing that pronouns and lexical DPs take advantage of different checking strategies: While lexical DPs check features in [Spec, TP], pronouns undergo D-to-T movement. In the latter case, a mixed-language complex head results, a construction which crashes at PF, as predicted by the PF Disjunction Theorem.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 765-776 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Lingua |
Volume | 118 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2008 |
Keywords
- Code-switching
- Coordination
- Features
- Head
- Interface
- Minimalism
- Phrase
- Pronoun
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Language and Linguistics
- Linguistics and Language