Optimality Theory and the Rise of Do-support in English Interrogatives
Nobuyo Fukaya (part-time lecturer, Tsuda College)
The purpose of this presentation is to provide an account of the development of English root questions within Optimality Theory. I will argue that obligatory V-movement in Old English is attributed to FULL-INT>>NO-LEX-MVT, whereas in Present-day English, the reverse ranking requires do-support. Furthermore, Shakespearean English provides a piece of evidence for optionality of V-movement and do-support, and supports the fact that the development of do-support in wh-questions is not parallel with that in yes-no questions. These are easily accounted for by assuming that ALFOCUS, FULL-INT, and NO-LEX-MVT are tied in Shakespearean English grammar, without introducing any constraints or adding hedges to existing constraints.
