Theta-Marking Via Agree

Abstract

This paper investigates the mechanism of θ-marking. Given the feature approach to θ-marking that states that θ-marking is performed by the general mechanism of feature checking, I will propose that θ-marking takes place via Agree, and provide conceptual and empirical arguments in favor of this view of θ-marking, based on data from control constructions in English and Japanese that indicate that a controller is θ-marked in the embedded [Spec, C] (precisely, [Spec, Fin]) by a matrix predicate. © 2009, The English Linguistic Society of Japan. All rights reserved.