ABSTRACT
The articulation of X’-theory, extending it to functional categories, has led to the revision
of projections for nominal expressions: an argument nominal phrase does not have the
straightforward structure [NP. . . .N. . .] with N(oun) heading a projection Noun Phrase
(NP). Rather, it has a functional head, Determiner (D), which takes a complement NP and
projects to a Determiner Phrase (DP) (see Szabolsci, 1983/84, Abney 1987, for instance).1
NPs and DPs are two distinct categories: a DP generally is an argument and an NP, a
predicate. D has the function of making a predicate into an argument (Chierchia 1998).
Alternatively, an NP is a restriction for D to range over.2 D is an operator ranging over a
restriction or binding a variable in N (Longobardi, 1994, 633-334).
