On Wh-Movement under Sluicing

Abstract

In this study, I provide novel arguments for Fox and Lasnik’s (F&L) (2003) analysis of sluicing. F&L assume that in sluicing constructions, wh-movement can proceed either locally or non-locally, and whether an occurrence of 
wh-movement is ruled out or not depends on whether it creates a dependency that is required to satisfy Parallelism. If these authors are on the right track, we would predict that wh-movement in sluicing constructions could proceed differently from 
wh-movement in non-sluicing contexts. I show that this prediction is correct. The first argument is drawn from English double object constructions, and the second is drawn from Dutch R-pronouns. The supporting facts not only align with the 
prediction but also follow naturally from Parallelism. Although both cases have been discussed in the literature, I reexamine them from a new perspective.