The asymmetry of short and long wh-extraction in German

Abstract

When subject to short extraction, wh-movement in German neither triggers a Weak Crossover effect nor does it show any Superiority effect. This situation changes if wh-movement undergoes long extraction. In this case, Weak Crossover effects as well as Superiority effects can be observed. This paper proposes a minimalist analysis of German wh-constructions which is designed to explain these properties. By exploring various constructions which involve the left periphery of the clause and making use of multiple features associated with wh-elements, it is shown that short extraction and long extraction target different