In generative syntax, what does 'wh‑movement' refer to?
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Get StartedIn generative syntax, what does 'wh‑movement' refer to?
Options:
- The displacement of a wh-phrase to clause-initial position to form questions or relatives
- The lowering of a wh-word into the verb phrase for passives
- The insertion of a question particle at the clause edge
- The deletion of wh-words in colloquial speech
Correct answer: The displacement of a wh-phrase to clause-initial position to form questions or relatives
Explanation: Wh‑movement moves an interrogative phrase to the clause-initial Spec-CP position; in English it produces questions like 'What did she see?', often triggering auxiliary inversion as in that word order shift.
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