Reducing the Asymmetry of Theta-Assignment to Third-Factor Principles

Bibliographic Data

ID5900959
AuthorsTao Xie (0000-0003-2169-5692)
Year2025
Volume10
Issue8
Pages176
Publication date2025-07-22
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguages (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2226-471X • E-ISSN: 2226-471X
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/languages10080176
OpenAlexW4412552782
LanguageEN
References cited19

This study focuses on the long-standing issue of θ-assignment in the generative enterprise literature. Despite the asymmetry of θ-assignment regarding structural positions (Head-Complement/Specifier-Head) being sanctioned by the Duality of Semantics, I argue that it is possible to eliminate the asymmetry in full accordance with third-factor principles by proposing two independent frameworks. In the first framework, I propose that θ-assignment is executed by applying Minimal Search to locate the assigner and the assignee, where both the external argument and the internal argument receive the θ-role in the same way. In the second framework, which does not hinge on the assumptions or results of the first one, I propose that θ-assignment is a postsyntactical operation; thus, the Duality of Semantics, as well as concepts like θ-assignment in the syntax or θ-position, may be disregarded. For a proper θ-interpretation to be possible, the assigner and the assignee must be in the same transfer domain. Nonetheless, the empirical coverage of the Duality of Semantics is largely retained, suggesting merge can and must be simplest with respect to θ

Asymmetry · Factor (programming language · Particle physics · Physics · Programming language · Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills · Computer Science · Mathematics · Mathematics Education and Teaching Techniques

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