SYNTACTIC CATEGORY AND ARGUMENT STATUS OF RUSSIAN INFINITIVAL COMPLEMENTS*

This paper deals with the structure of embedded infinitival complement clauses and conditions on their licensing as arguments of nominalization. I hypothesize that using the infinitival clause for theta role realization creates a different case configuration as compared to an argumental noun phrase. I show that the amount of functional structure in the infinitival clause affects case assignment mechanisms, especiallywith regard to the external argument of the nominalization.

The paper also discusses the issue of the variable structural shape of Russian infinitival clauses. I argue that semantic properties of matrix verbs, specifically, their control type, determine the syntactic categories of their infinitival complements. The study allows us to expand the existing theory in order to account for negative pronoun licensing. In this way, the data presented in the paper not only describes the difference between nominal and clausal arguments, but also provides evidence for correlation between syntactic behavior and the category of the functional phrase dominating the syntactic object.