NP Deletion and Raising of Kurdish Sentences According to Case Theory

Abstract

In traditional grammar case was used for those changes that occur at the end of sentences, which are added because of the function of the noun. In Transformational Generative Grammar, case is a characteristic or a form which is added to a noun phrase that indicates the grammatical and semantic relationship of the sentence. Case is a universal phenomenon and it is found in all the languages of the world. Kurdish language, like any other language, can be studied in this regard, to find out to what extent this phenomenon is found in this language.This paper includes two aspects, Raising Rules and NP deletion in Kurdish. The first aspect is related to raising of NP or any other element in its place in the subordinate clause, and moving them into larger constructions. This is a syntactic process which is related to Movement Theory and transformational rules. The other aspect is related to NP deletion or the Big Pro. The study is an attempt to apply these rules on Kurdish sentences.The study consists of six main sections. The first section deals with Theta Theory. The second section focuses on Movement Theory, especially the movement of passive voice and rising of noun phrases or the Big Pro (PRO). The third section deals with empty elements. Section four focuses on Binding Theory. Section five discusses the Big Pro. The last section, section six shows the conclusions of the study. In all the sections examples from Kurdish sentences (Central Kurmanji) are provided. At the end of the study the list of Kurdish and English references are provided.