If, by contrast, C’s search is executed after subject raising, as in (3), the
subject/D is the goal of minimal search by C. Assuming that only a minimally
searched goal can undergo attraction by C, T/Aux can undergo Internal Merge
to C in the derivation of (2), but not (3).
(3) C’s minimal search after subject-movement finds DC
D/Subj
T ......
Although Chomsky does not address the derivation of (3) (except to note
its hypothesized exclusion in English), note that this is an equally computation-
ally efficient derivation. Convergence by hypothesis requires ONLY that (i) the
subject raises (EPP) and (ii) that C attracts a head under minimal search. Cru-
cially, then, the order of application of these two operations is underspecified by the
third-factor law of computational efficiency. Two rules must apply, any more
would be computationally inefficient/unnecessary for convergence, but their
relative ordering is not specified. Computationally efficient satisfaction of the
interfaces, therefore, in fact predicts the possibility of derivations like (2) and
(3). In fact, there is a language which has D-to-C movement. Carstens and
Shoaff (2014) pro pose that D-to-C movement takes place in relative clauses of
Kisongo Maasai. This language has two word orders: SVO and VSO. If the
direct object contains a relative clause, only the VSO order is allowed. If
the subject contains the relative clause, on the other hand, either VSO or SVO
is allowed depending on the presence of a left-edge morpheme ore. If the mor-
pheme ore is included, both ore and the subject precede the verb (i.e. SVO) as
in (5). If it is absent, the verb is initial (i.e. VSO) as in (4).
(4) a. ɛ-tadwaa [ɛnkɪtɛŋ n-at ooko ɛŋkarɛ] ɔlɛɛ
3sSA-see.PST cow AAE.fem-drink.PST water man
b. ∗ [ɛnkɪtɛŋ n-atooko ɛŋkarɛ] ɛ-tadwaa ɔlɛɛ
cow AAE.fem-drink.PST water 3sSA-see.PST man
‘The cow that drank the water saw the man’
(5) a. Ore [ɛnkɪtɛŋ n-atooko ɛŋkarɛ] ɛ-tadwaa ɔlɛɛ
ORE cow AAE.fem-drink.PST water 3sSA-see.PST man
b. ∗ Ore ɛ-tadwa [ɛnkɪtɛŋ n-atooko ɛŋkarɛ] ɔlɛɛ
ORE 3sSA-see.PST cow AAE.fem-drink.PST water man
‘The cow that drank the water saw the man’
Carstens and Shoaff (2014) suggest that the morpheme ore is a relative
determi ner, which corresponds to demonstrative that in English, and moves
from inside of the subject DP ɛnkɪtɛŋ (cow) to C in the relative clause. Based
Eliminating parameters from narrow syntax 133