Common Contracts

Wh-movement, A-bar agreement and resumption in Bamileke Medumba

September 19th, 2016

• Filed
  September 19th, 2016

Abstract: Medumba wh-questions are formed either: (i) in-situ, or (ii) ex-situ. They are always accompanied by two particles: (i) an invariant high-tone focus particle á that precedes the wh- phrase; (ii) a sentence final question particle (Q-particle) á/à that varies in tone depending on the tone of the preceding word. Root clause wh-extractions trigger A-bar agreement (by vowel length) on V and on T while non-root clause extractions trigger agreement on V and T within the embedded CP and agreement only on T within the matrix CP. In addition, wh-extraction in Medumba also extends this root clause/non-root clause contrast to the extraction site of the moved wh-XP in that some root clause extractions leave behind a gap (except extraction from a PP, from a coordinate structure and extraction of a possessor where the moved DP leaves behind a resumptive pronoun) while non-root clause extractions trigger the presence of a resumptive pronoun at the extraction site of the moved wh-XP. This pa