Re: THEORY: two questions

Tim Smith:
> At 03:17 PM 4/1/2000 -0600, Matt Pearson wrote:
> >My favourite example of a "decidedly non-functional" feature of grammar
> >is the constraint which says that a wh-phrase may not move out of
> >one half of a coordinate structure--i.e. the ungrammaticality of sentences
> >such as "Who did you see and Bill?".  There doesn't seem to be any
> >obvious communicative reason for the coordinate structure constraint.
> >Sentences like "Who did you see and Bill?" are not especially difficult
> >to process (no more so than many other constructions which are judged
> >grammatical).  And yet, in every language that I'm aware of where this
> >phenomenon has been tested, such sentences are judged ungrammatical,
> >and are rarely if ever produced spontaneously.  I find it hard to believe
> >that the coordinate structure constraint is the product of functional
> >parameters or darwinian selectional pressures.  It just appears to be an
> >arbitrary side-effect of language design.
>
> Does this constraint also apply to languages where wh-words aren't fronted?
Surely not, because it doesn't apply to English:

   I wonder who ate bread and what.
   According to modern chemistry, lead and which other element are dangerous
     when inhaled?

I take Matt's point about the ATB constraint, & am mulling it over.

--And.