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The Wh-Feature
A determiner with a wh+ feature is always the left-most
determiner in linear order since no determiners have selectional
restrictions that allow them to adjoin onto an NP with a +wh feature
value. The presence of a wh+ determiner makes the entire NP wh+, and
this is correctly represented by the coindexation of the determiner
and root NP nodes' values for the wh-feature. Wh+ determiners'
selectional restrictions on the NP foot node of their tree only allows them
adjoin onto NPs that are wh- or unspecified for the
wh-feature. Therefore ungrammatical sequences such as which what dog are impossible. The adjunction of wh + determiners onto
wh+ pronouns is also prevented by the same mechanism.
XTAG Project
1998-09-14