Interface Conditions and Linguistic Analyses

Abstract

Lee, Hong Bae. 2003. Interface Conditions and Linguistic Analyses. Korean Journal of Linguistics, 28-4, 691-714. The Minimalist Program claims that language is designed to meet the interface conditions (ICs) imposed on the Faculty of Language (FL) by the performance systems with which it interacts. In this paper I will argue what properties can be considered to be principled elements of the initial state So of FL, which are called the Interface Condition (IC), and how far we can take the strongest minimalist thesis (SMT), which aims to offer principled explanation of language in terms of IC and the principle of efficient computation, to linguistic analyses. We will specifically examine the covert movement analysis of adjuncts, and Ura's (1996, 2000) feature checking analysis and Yang's (2000) agreement analysis of multiple Spec constructions in languages like Korean and Japanese. I will argue that the parameter for multiple Spec constructions is whether a language has the property that allows composite predicates: if it does, the language allows multiple Spec constructions. (Sogang University)