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<p>The partition of clause structure into two locality domains (CP and vP) has been standard in syntactic theory since the conception of Phase Theory (Chomsky 2000, 2001). A common type of evidence for the domains comes from footprints of successive cyclic movement, observed at the edges of both CP and vP. However, the two domains famously differ in their opacity for syntactic operations such as A-movement and ɸ-agreement, with vP being significantly more transparent than CP. This asymmetry has led some authors to question the phasehood of vP, especially in the context of alternative explanations for intermediate movement through vP (i.a. Keine and Zeijlstra 2025). This paper argues that we need not rely on intermediate movement as evidence for a clause-internal phase – operational opacity can likewise be observed in the clausal middle field. Evidence presented here comes from Zimbabwean Ndebele, in which VoiceP is argued to be opaque for A-movement and ɸ-agreement. The paper considers two alternative explanations for the absence of A-relations across VoiceP: one in terms of the failure of probing and the other as the absence of a matching goal. Both are ruled out on empirical grounds.</p>

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In defense of the clause-internal phase: Evidence from operational opacity in ndebele

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月28日

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  • Asia Pietraszko

摘要

The partition of clause structure into two locality domains (CP and vP) has been standard in syntactic theory since the conception of Phase Theory (Chomsky 2000, 2001). A common type of evidence for the domains comes from footprints of successive cyclic movement, observed at the edges of both CP and vP. However, the two domains famously differ in their opacity for syntactic operations such as A-movement and ɸ-agreement, with vP being significantly more transparent than CP. This asymmetry has led some authors to question the phasehood of vP, especially in the context of alternative explanations for intermediate movement through vP (i.a. Keine and Zeijlstra 2025). This paper argues that we need not rely on intermediate movement as evidence for a clause-internal phase – operational opacity can likewise be observed in the clausal middle field. Evidence presented here comes from Zimbabwean Ndebele, in which VoiceP is argued to be opaque for A-movement and ɸ-agreement. The paper considers two alternative explanations for the absence of A-relations across VoiceP: one in terms of the failure of probing and the other as the absence of a matching goal. Both are ruled out on empirical grounds.