A Generative Study on the Diachronic Change of English Syntax: Toward a Fine-Grained Theory of Parameterization

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On the basis of the Strong Minimalist Thesis, this study proposes the "Feature Inheritance parameter" as an underlying mechanism of the diachronic change of English syntax. Specifically, it is argued that uninterpretable agreement features diachronically shifted downward, from the Topic head through the Finite head and finally to the Tense head. This hypothesis is explored through empirical corpus investigation of the following phenomena in the history of English: the demise of null subjects, the shift of subject positions, the development of transitive expletive constructions, and the rise of the that-trace effect.