ABSTRACT The general goal of the proposed project is to investigate the syntax--semantics interface through an investigation of a constraint known as the "weak island effect." The project aims to reinterpret and revise some recent developments in the research of weak islands, using algebraic semantics. The two central hypothesis are as follows: (i) The weak island effect is a scope phenomenon, and (ii) The scope-taking abilities of WH-phrases and other operators are determined by their denotational semantic properties as well as their syntactic positions. Cross-linguistic comparisons involving specific phenomena in English, Hungarian, and Dutch will be used to facilitate the clarification of how syntax and semantics interact. The results will be accommodated in Government-binding theory and in Categorial Grammar.
