Chapter 1 Introduction 1
1.1 Goals 1
1.2 Related literature on Merge 6
1.2.1 Pre-Minimalist origin of Merge 6
1.2.2 Chomsky's Merge 10
1.2.3 Alternative types of Merge 15
1.3 Theoretical framework and core assumptions 18
1.3.1 Minimalist framework 18
1.3.2 Core assumptions 22
1.3.2.1 Uninterpretable features 22
1.3.2.2 Phrase structure for the English language 22
1.3.2.3 Case assignment 26
1.3.2.4 ［EPP］again 27
1.3.2.5 θ-role assignment 29
1.4 Organization of the book 29
Chapter 2 Box Structure Analysis of the Pronoun-Determiner Structure 33
2.1 A long-standing puzzle 34
2.2 Two possible structural descriptions 36
2.3 Box Structure analysis 40
2.3.1 Redefine the problem 41
2.3.2 Feature-matching generalization 42
2.3.3 （Im）possible structures 48
2.3.4 Box Structure：a proposal 55
2.3.5 Third person pronouns again 63
2.3.6 Summary 65
2.4 INTO-Merge as Pair-Merge 66
2.5 Uninterpretable feature(s)of Box-contents 70
2.6 Conclusion 73
Chapter 3 There-Expletive Construction：Another Case of Merging into Pro-DP 75
3.1 There-expletive construction：problems and explanations 76
3.1.1 Problems of the there-expletive construction 76
3.1.2 There-insertion analyses in the Minimalist framework 81
3.1.3 There-movement analyses 87
3.1.4 Summary 94
3.2 Box Structure in the there-expletive construction 95
3.2.1 There-associate：another Box Structure in English 95
3.2.2 There in Raising,ECM and for-to constructions 104
3.2.3 Passive existential construction 107
3.3 Case properties of the expletive there and the associate 114
3.4 Box Structure as Phase 120
3.5 Early INTO-Merge vs.late INTO-Merge 125
3.6 Conclusion 132
Chapter 4 It-Expletive Construction：A Case of Merging into Pro-CP 134
4.1 Previous studies of the it-expletive construction 136
4.1.1 Against the associate CP as argument 137
4.1.2 Against the associate CP as adjunct 141
4.1.3 It-movement analyses 143
4.2 Box Structure analysis 146
4.2.1 Box Structure analysis of the it-expletive construction：a proposal 146
4.2.2 Advantages of the Box Structure analysis 160
4.2.3 Expletive it in Accusative Case position 165
4.2.4 It-expletive construction with psych-verbs 175
4.2.5 Summary 183
4.3 Nature of the it-Box：extending the Box Structure 184
4.3.1 It-Box：not a pro-DP Box 184
4.3.2 Extending the Box Structure 186
4.3.3 It-Box：not a pro-CP Box 187
4.3.4 Box Structure within the expletive it 189
4.4 Selecting the expletive it 197
4.4.1 What kind of predicates selects it？ 198
4.4.2 What kind of it do predicates select？ 205
4.5 Conclusion 207
Chapter 5 Sentential Subject Structure：Another Case of Merging into Pro-CP 210
5.1 Previous studies of the sentential subject structure 212
5.1.1 Against sentential subjects as argument 212
5.1.2 Against sentential subjects as directly merged Topic 217
5.2 Box Structure analysis 225
5.2.1 Null referential it in the sentential subject structure 225
5.2.2 Box Structure analysis of the sentential subject structure 232
5.2.3 Advantages of the Box Structure analysis 244
5.3 Predicate distribution of the sentential subject structure 248
5.3.1 Predicate distribution generalization 249
5.3.2 Predicates that are allowed 252
5.3.3 Predicates that are forbidden 255
5.4 Licensing the null referential it 259
5.4.1 Null referential it in Accusative Case position 260
5.4.2 Factive Case Hypothesis 269
5.4.3 So-called Topic behaviors of sentential subjects 275
5.5 Conclusion 284
Chapter 6 Extending the Box Structure 287
6.1 Pro-PP Box in outside verbal there-sentences 288
6.1.1 Properties of outside verbals 290
6.1.1.1 Definites in outside verbals 290
6.1.1.2 Predicate distribution 292
6.1.1.3 （Sub）extraction of associate DPs and yes-no question formation 294
6.1.1.4 Embedding phenomena 296
6.1.1.5 PP obligatoriness 298
6.1.1.6 Other properties 300
6.1.1.7 Summary 302
6.1.2 Pro-PP Box Structure analysis of outside verbals 304
6.1.2.1 VP structure 305
6.1.2.2 Box Structure analysis of outside verbals 308
6.1.2.3 Accounting for outside verbals 317
6.1.2.3.1 （Lack of）Definiteness Effect 318
6.1.2.3.2 PP obligatoriness 320
6.1.2.3.3 Yes-no question formation and embedding contexts 322
6.1.2.3.4 Remarks on other properties 326
6.1.3 There-insertion analysis 330
6.1.4 Presentational-there and outside verbals 333
6.1.5 Conclusion 337
6.2 Box Structure analysis of English locative inversion construction 338
6.2.1 Parallels between LI and outside verbals 339
6.2.1.1 Predicate distribution 339
6.2.1.2 （Sub）extraction of post-verbal DPs and yes-no question formation 341
6.2.1.3 Embedding phenomena 343
6.2.1.4 Other properties 344
6.2.1.5 Summary 345
6.2.2 Pro-PP Box Structure analysis of LI 346
6.2.2.1 Preliminaries 346
6.2.2.2 The proposal 348
6.2.2.3 Accounting for the properties of LI 351
6.2.3 Arguments against null-there analysis 358
6.2.4 Advantages of the proposed analysis 363
6.2.4.1 Previous analyses of LI 363
6.2.4.2 Subject properties of the inverted PP 368
6.2.4.3 Motivation for PP movement 371
6.2.4.4 Erasing optionality 373
6.2.5 Conclusion 374
6.3 Extending the Box Structure 375
6.4 Conclusion 385
Chapter 7 Conclusion and Further Issues 388
Bibliography 395
后记 432