ABSTRACT
In the Principles and Parameters framework the idea that functional categories play a significant role in the grammar has for many years been one of the fundamental premises. Thus, C(omplementiser) and I(nflection) are assigned a crucial role in determining, among other things, movement processes, e.g. movement of wh-phrases to Spec of CP in wh-questions, V-movement to C in interrogative sentences, NP-movement to Spec of IP in raising and passive constructions etc. However, only recently has a serious attempt been made to investigate the role of functional categories in determining language variation (cf. Fukui and Speas (1986), Baker (1988), Chomsky (1988), Ouhalla (1988c) and Pollock (1989)). 1 Among the consequences of this attempt is a growing awareness among linguists that language variation is probably to a large extent, if not exclusively, determined by functional categories. This awareness is best illustrated by the following quote from Chomsky (1988): ‘If substantive elements (verbs, nouns, etc.) are drawn from an invariant universal vocabulary, then only functional elements will be parametrised’ (p. 2). In a theory where language variation is accounted for in terms of variation in the values of given parameters this statement surely has wide ranging implications.
