Universal #1377
Legacy number: 1377
| Number | 1373 |
| Original | Filler-Gap Complexity Hypothesis: If Filler-Gap Domain (FGD) of complexity n on a complexity hierarchy H is grammatical, then the FGDs for all less complex variables on H(n-1) will also be grammatical. |
| Standardized | Filler-Gap Complexity Hypothesis: If Filler-Gap Domain (FGD) of complexity n on a complexity hierarchy H is grammatical, then the FGDs for all less complex variables on H(n-1) will also be grammatical. |
| Keywords | filler, gap, complexity |
| Domain | syntax |
| Type | implication |
| Status | achronic |
| Quality | absolute |
| Basis | languages surveyed in Hawkins 1999 |
| Source | Hawkins 1999: 252 |
Discussion
Notes
1. The terms “filler” and “gap” are used for the moved element and its trace respectively.2. Filler-Gap Domain [FGD]: An FGD consists of the smallest terminal and non-terminal nodes dominated by the mother of a filler and on a connected path that must be accessed for gap identification and processing; for subcategorized gaps the path connects the filler to the gap’s subcategorizor and includes, or is extended to include, the gap’s dependent and disambiguating arguments (if any); for non-subcategorized gaps the path connects the filler to the gap site; all constituency relations and co-occurrence requirements holding between these nodes belong to the description of the FGD.3. The following implicational pattern can be explained by this hypothesis: If a language permits a prenominal relative clause, it permits the typically shorter and less internally complex prenominal possessive phrase; if it permits the possessive phrase, it almost always has a prenominal single-word adjective. (Hawkins 1999: 252)
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2. Filler-Gap Domain [FGD]: An FGD consists of the smallest terminal and non-terminal nodes dominated by the mother of a filler and on a connected path that must be accessed for gap identification and processing; for subcategorized gaps the path connects the filler to the gapÕs subcategorizor and includes, or is extended to include, the gap's dependent and disambiguating arguments (if any); for non-subcategorized gaps the path connects the filler to the gap site; all constituency relations and co-occurrence requirements holding between these nodes belong to the description of the FGD.
3. The following implicational pattern can be explained by this hypothesis: If a language permits a prenominal relative clause, it permits the typically shorter and less internally complex prenominal possessive phrase; if it permits the possessive phrase, it almost always has a prenominal single-word adjective. (Hawkins 1999: 252)