When Arguments Merge

A novel theory of argument structure based on the order in which verbs and their arguments combine across a variety of languages and language families.

Merge is the structure-building operation in Chomsky’s Minimalist Program. In When Arguments Merge, Elise Newman develops a new Merge-based theory of the syntax of argument structure, taking inspiration from wh- questions. She uncovers new connections between disparate empirical phenomena and provides a unified analysis of patterns across man...