Revisiting the syntax of imperatives in Yemeni Arabic: An Agree across phases approach

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the syntax of imperatives in Yemeni Arabic using an Agree across phases approach, linking syntax with discourse functions and proposing a null topic analysis for core imperatives.

Contribution

It introduces the AAP approach to account for complex imperative structures and the interface between syntax and discourse in Yemeni Arabic.

Findings

AAP explains both simple and complex imperative constructions.

Imperatives' thematic subject is a 2-person pro, with preverbals as C-domain topics.

Core imperatives have a null topic whose interpretation depends on discourse.

Abstract

This article revisits the syntax of imperatives in Yemeni Arabic proposing an Agree acros phases (AAP) approach. I argue that the AAP approach successfully accounts for both simple and complex imperative constructions, including A'-chain structures, by establishing a close interactions between syntax and discourse. The study demonstrates that this interface is motivated by the interpretive and performative functions associated with imperatives, linking informational structure with propositional structure. It is also proposed that the thematic subject of imperatives is a 2-person pro, whereas any overt pronominal or nominal element occurring preverbally is not a subject, but rather a C-domain element, precisely aboutness topic. These topics serve as the logical subjects of imperatives and enter into a coreferentiality relationship with pro. This relation is analyzed as APP involving Match, yielding both local and non-local A'-chains. For core imperatives, viz., lacking an overt topic, I propose a null topic to (re)merge in Spec,TopP, whose interpretation depends on the discourse.