A Derivational Approach to Negative Polarity Item Licensing in Old French

Abstract

This study builds on earlier findings regarding the left periphery of Old French main clause syntax, and addresses apparent V2 violations with clause-initial ja and onques (Ingham 2005). It is shown that V2 observance or violation may be more principled than critics of the CP V2 analysis have contended. Negative clauses were not necessarily V2 contexts. In Old French, polarity licensing took place symmetrically within a licensing domain, but following a phase-based analysis. The negative polarity licenser ne licensed arguments when in vP (Zeijlstra 2004), and when raised to TP licensed time adjuncts. CP was constructed in negative clauses only when a constituent was displaced there to satisfy a Criterion (Topic, Wh-, or other). Polarity adjuncts such as ja and onques were licensed in TP, as they were not suitable expressions to satisfy criteria motivating movement to Spec CP. Their tense semantic properties are argued to support this analysis.