On the Universality of the Extended Projection Principle

Abstract

This paper deals with the universality of the extended projection principle (EPP). It was an immediate success as it effectively dealt with the thorny issue of expletives and raising constructions. Later on, studies on pro-drop and partially pro-drop languages and languages with flexible word orders, made syntacticians to question the universality of the EPP. In the context of this background, the present study analyses EPP in languages with no expletives (and perhaps no raising constructions). For this purpose constructions where ‘that clauses’ serve as the subjects are chosen; as, cross-linguistically, languages prefer to alternate ‘that clauses’ with some other constructions. The sample languages, alongside different alternating strategies, also resorted to insertion of a pronoun in the subject slot and moved ‘that clause’ to the end of the sentence. This showed that although other factors exerted their influence to shift the heavy part to the end of the sentence, syntax was there to have its own on the subject position of the main clause. Thus, this study established that EPP is still relevant for the sample languages and it could be the case on cross-linguistic basis as well.