book review cheng typology wh questions cheng lisa lai shen 1997 typology wh questions outstanding dissertations linguistics series garland publishing new york london 210 pages reviewed kerstin hoge university oxford introduction book originally written author 1991 ph dissertation attempts account full range crosslinguistic variation found single multiple whquestions aim cheng proposes clausal typing hypothesis postulates parameter identification typing sentence whquestion achieved either question particle overt whmovement first part book chapters 2 3 discusses clausal typing hypothesis predictions implications analysis whin situ languages single movement languages optional movement languages multiple fronting languages data multiple fronting languages lead cheng investigation interpretation inherent properties whwords number languages marks transition second part book chapters 4 5 shifts focus whwords quantificational phenomena mandarin chinese cheng book provides extensive overview differences exhibited across languages respect whquestion formation presents interesting attempt unify two previously separate approaches whmovement arguing properties c whwords responsible observed typological distinctions synopsis chapter 1 presents general aims outline book briefly introduces phrase structure mandarin chinese features prominently book example whin situ language chapter 2 introduces clausal typing hypothesis cheng observes languages allow whin situ single questions invariably use overt markings particles matrix yesno questions language overt yesno question particle also whquestion particle may need overt question particles overt whmovement identify clause interrogative thus mutually exclusive account generalisation cheng proposes clauses typed structure either whparticle overt whmovement crucially one language cf 1 1 clausal typing hypothesis every clause needs typed case typing whquestion either whparticle c used else fronting whword spec c used thereby typing clause c spec head agreement cheng 1997 22 9 two available strategies illustrated mandarin chinese english respectively mandarin chinese satisfies clausal typing basegenerating whparticle c consequently whphrases stay insitu overt whmovement ruled principle economy derivation chomsky 1989 according movement costly merge last resort operation applicable clausal typing could achieved otherwise lf whphrases move speccp scope selection absorption purposes english uses overt whmovement satisfy clausal typing e c acquires wh feature xp specifier clausal typing hypothesis requires cheng make following assumptions respect english subject whphrases must undergo overt movement contra vacuous movement hypothesis ii q morpheme wh feature basegenerated c iii whether question particles chapter 3 discusses optional multiple whfronting languages present challenge clausal typing hypothesis optional fronting languages appear use modes clausal typing e allow whfronting although whparticle given possibility whin situ using egyptian arabic bahasa indonesia palauan languages investigation cheng argues questions fronted whphrases optional fronting languages instantiate overt whmovement display clear similarities cleft topicalisation structures thus fronted whargument basegenerated subject reduced cleft construction fronted whadjunct undergone topicalisation optional fronting languages straightforward insitu languages satisfy clausal typing basegenerating whparticle matrix c multiple fronting languages appear violate principle economy derivation whphrases must move structure although clausal typing satisfied single whmovement extending nishigauchi 1990 analysis japanese whwords cheng suggests bare whwords multiple fronting languages similar indefinites e lack inherent quantificational force simply introduce variables semantic representation must bound elements sentence thus surprising interpretation whword multiple fronting language vary context example polish whwords interpreted interrogatives fronted receive iscourse linked reading insitu used polarity items yesno questions conditional sentences form morphological base indefinites filling whole paradigms person place time cheng argues four different readings arise four different binders determine quantificational force bare whword wh contexts schematised 2 2 binders readings polish wh words wh bound overt eterminer existential reading b wh bound null interrogative force interrogative reading c wh bound existential closure polarity reading wh bound wh c linked reading null determiners contribute interrogative quantificational force need licensed identified feature matching wh c structure thus satisfy licensing requirement null determiner whphrases multiple fronting languages move position governed c chapter also contains discussion rudin 1988 proposal distinguish multiple fronting languages allow multiply filled speccp e g bulgarian romanian speccp host one whphrase whphrases ip adjoined e g polish czech cheng proposes replace rudin ecp style account superiority effects analysis derives hortest movement condition account observed subject adjunct object adjunct orderings whphrases bulgarian type languages moreover suggests analysing ip adjunction q uantifier r aising thus clausebound thereby ruling multiple whextraction embedded clauses polish type languages chapter 4 cheng examines whwords mandarin chinese analyses polarity items require trigger binder interpretation cf 3 3 wh words mandarin chinese reading trigger binder interrogative whparticle whparticle unselective binder polarity yesno particle existential closure negation unselective binder universal dou dou selective binder thus whword interpreted interrogative licensed whparticle also bind contribute interrogative force polarity reading triggered yesno particle negation binder whword introduced existential closure apply elements inside vp follows whwords affective contexts occur subject position specaspp position external vp therefore scope existential closure cheng argues indefinites mandarin chinese lack inherent quantificational force must bound existential closure consequence indefinites occur subject position unless aspp complement modal act binder indefinite subject second half chapter 4 taken discussion universal quantifier dou cheng analyses quantificational adverb basegenerated asp v adjunct lf distributor dou adjoins associate movement clausebound leaves trace must antecedentgoverned dou selective binder license one np time moving closest element use trigger chapter 5 deals multiple quantification interactions wh quantifier phrases mandarin chinese english mandarin chinese scope relations quantified phrases always reflect surface order cheng explains lack scope ambiguities resulting fact neither indefinites universally quantified phrases undergo qr interpretation questions contain universally quantified phrases mei nps appears sensitive presence quantificational adverb dou whereas questions contain mei np without dou individual reading questions mei np licensed dou allow individual pairlist reading cf 4 4 meige ren dou maile shenme every cl person buyasp everyone buy thing everyone bought b every x thing x bought cheng 1997 161 31 ambiguity however result different scope relations rather cheng argues pairlist reading due distributive reading mei np created association distributor dou scope reconstruction frampton 1990 whphrase site intermediate vp adjoined trace cheng adopts analysis english whquantifier interactions possible 4 dou creates barrier intermediate trace therefore deletes lf cheng analysis whquantifier interactions mandarin chinese rests assumption whphrases move lf discusses arguments favour lf movement aoun li 1993 claim insitu whphrases move lf since modified needs associated overt element ccommand domain cheng argues whphrases modified must linked interpretation therefore constitute evidence lf movement notes reinhart 1990 observation linked whphrases move properly interpreted suggests movement takes place post lf level chapter concludes discussion landing site lf movement cheng identifies speccp contra mahajan 1990 comments cheng book occupies place marks onset minimalist approach syntactic theory assumes barriers framework chomsky 1986 uses disjunctive ecp derive locality conditions dou lack scope reconstruction whquantifier interactions principle economy derivation central argumentation prohibit language using strategies clausal typing also accounts superiority effects bulgarian forcing movement closest whphrase occur first precludes lf lowering indefinite subjects mandarin chinese since alternative derivation generates structure modal binder moreover rules multiple whmovement clausal typing thus requires cheng account multiple fronting languages resulting licensing requirement whwords seen earlier multiple fronting shown correlate ability whwords form morphological base indefinite nps however appears languages indefinites derived whwords display multiple fronting german prefixes whword irgend ome form indefinite filling whole paradigms person place time seen 5 5 german wer irgendwer omeone wo irgendwo omewhere wann irgendwann ometime irgendwas omething moreover bare whexpression used polarity item yesno questions conditionals e g 6 7 6 hast du wen angerufen called call anybody 7 wenn du wen anrufen willst musst du mir bescheid sagen call want must letknow want call anybody must let know morphological forms possible readings german whwords thus mirror situation found polish whwords described cheng german polish also common neither language question particle cheng analysis must therefore use overt whmovement clausal typing however whereas polish fulfils cheng prediction fronts whphrases multiple questions german move one whword clauseinitial position cf 8 8 wer hat wen angerufen called called b wer wen hat angerufen called yiddish presents reverse problem allows multiple whmovement derive indefinites whwords morphologically transparent way cf 9 9 ver emetser omeone vu ergets vu omewhere ven mol ometime vos epes omething make things worse multiple fronting optional yiddish wh phrases stay insitu without necessarily linked reading cf 10 10 ver vemen hot ongeklungen called called b ver hot ongeklungen vemen called called german yiddish thus appear direct counterexamples cheng analysis multiple fronting languages note also context french often cited example optional movement language falls outside cheng analysis acknowledged book 1997 39 fn 4 french question particle therefore insitu language nevertheless allows whwords remain insitu single matrix questions might possible account optional whmovement french postulating french possesses nonovert yesno particle nonovert whparticle french would satisfy clausal typing basegenerating whparticle c whphrases could stay insitu movement whphrase clauseinitial position could due another attractor focus obligatorily present whatever appeal analysis might hold points problem allowing nonovert question particles expect find overt whparticles languages without yesno particles stop us assuming language allows whword stay insitu question particle even phonologically overt evidence claim cheng proposal relate whin situ availability nonovert whparticles may thus ultimately turn permissive theory another problem arises cheng approach superiority effects bulgarian type languages noted cheng explains superiority effects violations principle economy derivation given adverbs embedded positions 1997 81 adjunct argument orderings ruled movement argument shorter movement must therefore take place adjunct moves speccp however observed boskovic 1997 bulgarian questions containing two fronted whphrases display superiority effects respect topmost whphrase others freely ordered contrary prediction made cheng approach comments aside cheng book commended extremely well written clearly presented work fully comprehensible even readers familiar literature mandarin chinese syntax heim 1982 theory indefinites book ambitious scope discussing wide range languages undoubtedly made important contribution study whmovement references aoun j li 1993 wh elements situ syntax lf linguistic inquiry 24 199238 boskovic z 1997 certain violations superiority condition agro economy derivation journal linguistics 33 227254 chomsky n 1986 barriers cambridge mass mit press chomsky n 1989 notes economy derivation representation mitwpl 10 functional heads clause structure reprinted principles parameters comparative grammar ed r freidin 417454 cambridge mass mit press frampton j 1990 fine structure whmovement proper formulation ecp ms northeastern university heim 1982 semantics definite indefinite noun phrases ph dissertation university massachusetts amherst mahajan 1990 bar distinction movement theory ph dissertation mit nishigauchi 1990 quantification theory grammar dordrecht kluwer reinhart 1990 interpreting whin situ ms rudin c 1988 multiple questions multiple wh fronting natural language linguistic theory 6 445502 kerstin hoge phil student linguistics university oxford research interests include syntactic theory yiddish