중세영어에서 현대영어까지 V-to-T 이동 변화

Abstract

The main goal of this paper is to show the explanatory power of various V-to-T movements and their change from Middle English to Modern English, coupled with Search operation in Minimalist frameworks (Chomsky, 2021). I have argued that the reading facts of various V-to-T movement phenomena from Middle English to Modern English can be accounted for as natural consequence of the status of T (un)specified to the Category, in connection with the independently motivated Search operation which finds and locates the relevant verbs to be Merged in WS (Workspace). Since V bearing full formal features can not be placed in –T (unspecified to Category), Search selects Auxiliary do which intrinsically fails to have the relevant formal features(case feature), locating it in this -T. Thus we argue that our proposal provides a principled account of various verb movements from Middle English to Modern English in terms of the Category specification of T with Search operation in a minimalist perspective. I also show how the proposed analysis facilitates a new understanding of relevant aspects of the Middle, Early Modern and Modern English verbal system and their differentiation.