The University of Jordan :: Research Groups :: Turkish verbal reflexives and movement
Conference

Turkish verbal reflexives and movement

Undertaking the first detailed investigation of Turkish verbal reflexives (TVRs), we first show that they are syntactically intransitive, and that their surface subject originates as a theme: in this respect, Turkish resembles other languages where verbal reflexives that morphologically overlap with passives can be shown to be syntactically passive-like as well. We then show that the internal argument of TVRs moves to a peripheral position within the VoiceP, crucially unlike the surface subject of passives. We develop an analysis making sense of the totality of facts by combining a Reflexive-Voice-based analysis with a particular view of what A-movement of the internal argument accomplishes in an intransitive reflexive.