This monograph investigates the modular architecture of language through the nature of "uninterpretable" phi-features: person, number, gender, and Case. It provides new tools and evidence for the modular architecture of the human language faculty, a foundational topic of linguistic research. At the same time it develops a new theory for one of the core issues posed by the Minimalist Program: the relationship of syntax to its interfaces and the nature of uninterpretable features. The work sets out to establish a new cross-linguistic phenomenon to study the foregoing, person-governed last-resort repairs, which provides new insights into the nature of ergative/accusative Case and of Case licensing itself. This is the first monograph that explicitly addresses the syntactic vs. morphological status of uninterpretable phi-features and their relationship to interface systems in a similar way, drawing on person-based interactions among arguments as key data-base.
From the reviews:
"Rezac certainly presents an impressive contribution to syntactic theorizing using what are often seen as problematic data. This monograph presents a novel mechanism for PCC and related effects in a number of languages. The work is well organized and contains substantial references. In sum, Rezac's book is important for anyone interested in the architecture of grammar, minimalism, or Romance syntax." (Michael Barrie, LINGUIST List 23.4397)
