On the Relation between DP and TPthe Structure of Basque Infinitivals

Resumen

The most relevant facts concerning Basque infinitivals can be plausibly captured by assurning that they are headed by a determiner and they contain a tensed Infl. The presence of a determiner explains why some kinds of Basque infinitivals require a Case-marking and why they are allowed in some contexts where any other kind of clause is avoided, namely, subject positions. On the other hand, we account for the subcategorization requirements of some predicates and postpositions that take infinitival complements by postulating that they select T, or some kind of category inside Infl. We also relate the licensing of Ergative, Absolutive and Dative overt and pro arguments in infinitivals to the existence of T and Agr in Infl. Finally, we argue that anaphoric and arbitrary tenses are responsible for the impossibility of overt subjects in infinitivals with controlled and arbitrary subjects respectively and that both belong to the category pro.