Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

2-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Program

Linguistics

Advisor

Jason Kandybowicz

Committee Members

Daniel Kaufman

Jonathan Nissenbaum

Subject Categories

Language Description and Documentation | Linguistics | Syntax

Keywords

Thai, Wh-words, Indefinite, Interrogative

Abstract

This dissertation deals with an ambiguity problem of wh-indeterminates in Thai. Thai wh-phrases are indeterminates in that their interpretations depend on licensing conditions and structural environments. In this dissertation, observed ambiguous interpretations of object wh-arguments in Thai are described and analyzed through the lens of a phase-based approach under the Minimalist Program. The ambiguity problem concerns the fact that ʔàraj ‘what’ and khraj ‘who’ receive two possible interpretations, namely indefinite/NPI and interrogative, when they appear as an internal argument of serialized verb phrases and under c-commanding negation. Other wh-phrases in the language, namely the locative wh-word thîinǎj ‘where’ and wh-adjuncts mɯ̂araj ‘when’, thammaj ‘why’, and jàaŋraj ‘how’, are also discussed. The major claim of this dissertation is that the ambiguous interpretations of object wh-arguments have different derivations in the narrow syntax. In particular, the indefinite/NPI reading arises due to a condition on Spell-Out, which requires a wh-item to be spelled out with V within VP. The generalization directly accounts for the absence of indefinite readings in simple VPs, for wh-subjects, and wh-adjuncts. I invoke the role of focus in differentiating the interrogative from the indefinite readings. In addition to the ambiguity problem, I explore and describe various linguistic mechanisms that are used to convey unambiguous interpretations of wh-phrases. Thai, like other languages, employs syntactic movement, Q-particles, and prosody to convey interrogative readings. Moreover, there are ways to form complex wh-indefinites in the language via the composition of wh-phrases with existential and universal quantifier phrases. Thai wh-phrases can also be licensed as free choice items, -ever free relatives, and in concessive conditionals by kɔ̂ɔ-phrases. Lastly, the unambiguous NPI reading can be achieved with the NPI particle lɤɤj. On a narrow scale, this dissertation contributes to a better understanding of wh-expressions in Thai. On a broader scale, it contributes to the project of increasing descriptive adequacy in generative grammatical theory. It provides a novel observation that structures of verb phrases also affect the interpretation of wh-indeterminates.

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