The halting problem

Abstract

In Chomsky 2015 it is proposed that raising of a wh phrase from subject position is not possible unless C is deleted in the Narrow Syntax (NS), as seen in the that/Comp-trace Effect (C-tE). Evidence presented here indicates that the raising of a subject may allow and even require the overt presence of C, pointing toward the conclusions that raising a subject is not related to C deletion, and that all wh subjects raise. The alternative considered here is that the locus of phenomena such as the C-tE may be the Sensory-motor (SM) component rather than NS. Taking anti-Comp-trace phenomena into account, there appears to be a requirement that a subject extraction must be phonetically marked ("Subject Extraction Marking" – SEM), either by the subject itself being overt, or by the presence of an overt C. This paper proposes a possible SM analysis consisting of rules that account for the complexities of spelling out that including Doubly-filled Comp, the C-tE, and SEM.