Comparative syntax. Layers of structure and the cartography project (Ghent University)
This project explores the cartographic approach to syntax, whose aim it is to decompose the sentence in its primitive syntactic components. The current research project has three main lines of enquiry. A first project line deals with the syntax of the left periphery of the clause, i.e. the constituents to the left of the subject position. The goal is to determine to what extent the left periphery of the clause may be structurally deficient and whether the deficiency can be derived from independent principles of the grammar. The second line of the project examines the demarcation of the left periphery (‘CP’) and the core sentential domain (‘TP’) in the light of recent proposals in cartographic approaches and raises the question of the status of the subject position in relation to CP and TP. The third strand of research examines to what extent the internal structure of the nominal projection can be assimilated to that of the clause.