Tracking the head parameter Clause Samples

Tracking the head parameter. A question that arises at this point is why a language, such as Moroccan Arabic, does not have CCA with the rightmost conjunct when the ConjP precedes the verb (i.e. in the SV order) as illustrated in (28). a. 1omar w Kariim ža ▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇.▇▇▇▇.▇▇ b. 1omar w Kariim ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇.▇▇ ‘▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇▇ came.’ In Moroccan Arabic, CCA only obtains with the leftmost conjunct when ConjP is to the right of the verb, i.e., in the VS order. We do not have a complete answer to this question at present but we would like to offer two considerations. First, it could be that in Arabic, the restriction is that the agreeing head re-brackets only with the elements to the right, probably due to the fact that it is a head-initial language and the VS order is unmarked. This is certainly the case in the nominal system as well in the context of the so-called Semitic Construct State where the head noun on the left merges with the NP to its right (Borer 1989, Benmamoun 2000). Second, it appears that in the context of CCA, the most widespread pattern is the one that tracks the head parameter in the language while the other pattern is rare and therefore marked. Therefore, we should expect some languages, such as Moroccan Arabic or Lebanese Arabic, to show only one pattern, which is indeed the attested case. The implication then is that there should be no languages that only have CCA in a pattern that does not track the head parameter of the language. We are aware of no such language but this has to be further confirmed by a more extensive cross-linguistic study which is beyond the scope of this paper.