Underspecification of nominal functional categories in Semitic and Slavic

Abstract

Assuming that features on functional heads are variables (Borer 2005), we expect to find syntactic operations and functional elements that target and manipulate these variables beyond matching and valuation in AGREE. We argue that such syntactic operations and functional elements exist. This paper presents such a functional element: a polarity operator manipulating features of a nominal functional head it modifies. The empirical motivation for our proposal comes from parallel systematic homophony over the same set of functional interpretations and features within the nominal extended projection in West Slavic (here, Czech and Polish) and Arabic dialects, primarily Levantine Arabic.