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Obligatory Overt Wh -Movement in a Wh -in-Situ Language
- Linguistic Inquiry
- The MIT Press
- Volume 34, Number 1, Winter 2003
- pp. 127-142
- Article
- Additional Information
Bangla has commonly been assumed to be an SOV wh-in-situ language. Here it is suggested that both of these characterizations are incorrect and that Bangla actually has obligatory overt wh-movement from a basic SVO word order. This is disguised by a conspiracy of factors but revealed in restrictions on wh-scope and certain apparently optional word order possibilities with complement clauses. Adopting a different perspective on the SOV status of Bangla allows for a simple explanation of the patterns observed and raises the possibility that other "wh-in-situ" languages may also have (obligatory) overt wh-movement.