There be存在构式的焦点结构与句法推导

The Focus Structure of the Existential Construction of“There be”and Its Syntactic Derivation

表示“存在”语法意义的There be构式是个焦点结构,存在物NP是句法焦点,它携带了不可解释的[焦点]特征。在特征核查的驱动下,存在物NP会移位到[Spec,FocP]处。存在物NP移位后其线性位置并没有发生显著变化。为凸显存在物NP,焦点标记Be参与句法合并,这就凭空投射出一个主语位置。为满足句法的EPP要求,虚主语there参与句法合并。

“There be”construction,which expresses the grammatical meaning of“being”,is a focus construction,and NP is a syntactic focus,which carries the uninterpretable feature of focus.Driven by feature checking,NP moves to[Spec,FocP].There is no significant change in the linear position of NP movement.In order to highlight NP,the focus marker“be”participates in syntactic merging,which projects a subject position.For the EPP requirements of syntax,the expletive subject“there”participates in syntactic merging.