Remarks on Noun Phrases in English

Abstract

In this paper, we deal with some facts concerning the movement out of and within noun phrases in English. For a proper analysis, subject (SPEC) positions of NP are divided into two kinds: A-position and A'-position. The NP with A subject, which is nexal in its nature, is a barrier if the NP is not L·marked, whereas the NP with A' ·subject as well as the NP with non-specific determiner, i. e., non·nexal NPs are an inherent barrier, for they cannot be L·marked. The original version of the Minimality Condition proposed in Chomsky (1986) is modified in a substantive way to accomodate the facts of nominals in English. With the proposals described above, along with the assumption that the noun is not a proper governor, as many linguists including Kayne claim, it is possible to explain some facts about movement in NPs in a consistent way with the help of the Empty Category Principle (ECP).