This dissertation examines the syntax of direct object noun phrases in English within the Principles and Parameters, specifically Chomsky's Minimalist Program, approach to generative grammar. The main focus is on the phrase structural positions of object noun phrases at the various levels of representation, and secondarily on the relationship between structural position and semantic interpretation. Supported by a variety of empirical and conceptual arguments, the central claim of the dissertation is that direct object noun phrases in English surface in a VP-external position; a secondary claim is that while in the overt syntax direct objects appear VP-externally, their position at the level of
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