8. Does structural binding correlate with degrees of functional dependence?
Sophie von Wietersheim, Sam Featherston · 2019
In German and English, the connector während/while can introduce two formally identical but functionally different adverbial clauses. In the example Jeder Läuferi hört Musik, während eri durch den Park joggt (‘Every runneri listens to music while hei jogs through the park.’) the connector während has a temporal sense and introduces a dependent clause which modifies the event in the matrix clause. In Jeder Athleti geht morgens joggen, während eri abends schwimmen geht (‘Every athletei jogs in the morning, while hei swims in the evening.’), by contrast, während introduces an equally subordinate but functionally more independent event which stands in contrast to the matrix clause event. While both clauses are clearly subordinate, different degrees of structural integration may be identified between them in phenomena such as binding (Reis 1997; Haegeman 2004; Frey 2011). Authors have used evidence from binding as a test of integration. However, this data contains a number of complicating factors and can require fine judgements. The work reported here examines these phenomena in carefully controlled conditions. Our research aim is to explore whether binding data provides reliable empirical support for current models of interclausal relations. We have conducted a series of experiments testing variable binding in a range of adverbial clauses of varying degrees of structural integration, like temporal and adversative clauses with während. Our results show that binding relations can provide very robust evidence for the integration status of even very closely related types of subordinate clauses. Our participants clearly distinguished between the binding possibilities of the different types. We conclude first, that this evidence type is a very sound evidential basis for syntax work in this area, and second, that the theoretical work distinguishing different types of adverbial clauses is on the right track, in that it builds upon differentiations which are verifiably psychologically real.