The Position of Subjects in Romance Infinitive Clauses

Abstract In this chapter, I analyze the data presented so far to establish the structural position of the constituents in the infinitive constructions under discussion. As suggested by its title, the main aim of this chapter is to identify the different subject positions. Since the analysis of other constituents is involved in determining the location of subjects, I also examine the position of verbs, adverbs, negation, and clitics so that this chapter will contribute to understanding the structure of old and modem Romance infinitive clauses in general. As for the subject positions, I reject some of the proposals presented in chapter 4, whereas others tum out to be compatible with the Split-Intl hypothesis and with the assumption that SpecVP is the base position of subjects. As I explained in chapter 1, causative and similar constructions are not discussed because the analyses reviewed in section 4.1.1 are sufficient to account for those structures. Moreover, in this chapter, the difference between accusative and nominative subjects is ignored because the issue of case assignment is discussed at length in chapter 6. Thus, I now explore the question of where the subjects are located in the clause, and in the next chapter I examine what licenses these positions and the movements involved.