Check Questionsindefinite. Again, there is a phonologically empty D head responsible for this
interpretation. The empty definite determiner takes only NP complements headed by
proper nouns while the empty indefinite determiner takes only NP complements
headed by plural nouns.
Q2 Pronouns are in complementary distribution with determiners which suggests
that they occupy the same structural slot. A pronoun DP containing a D head takes no
NP complement as both the semantic content and the syntactic properties of such a DP
are provided by the pronoun itself.
Q3 D heads project the features [±definite], [±plural]. Some D heads obligatorily
take an NP complement (e.g. articles), some obligatorily stand without a complement
(pronouns) and some take optional NP complements (e.g. demonstrative pronouns).
Q4 When the possessor is a lexical DP in a DP, the morpheme ’s is attached to it.
This morpheme attaches to phrases rather than heads (e.g. John’s book, the man living
next door’s dog). However, when the possessor is a pronoun, it is the pronoun itself
that bears the possessive feature. Possessors and determiners seem to be in
complementary distribution in English (e. g. the his book/his the book) which
suggests that they both occupy the D head position. A possessor like the man living
next door’s can be replaced by the possessive pronoun his. If possessive pronouns are
in the D head position, then the man living next door’s should likewise occupy that
position. However, this is a phrase to which the ’s morpheme is attached and phrases
cannot occur in head positions. The phrase can be substituted by the possessive
pronoun, hence the possessive pronouns should also have the status of a phrase. There
is an available phrasal position, however: [Spec, DP]. Furthermore, there is a head
position available for the ’s morpheme which does not behave like a phrase in any
respect: D. Thus, DP possessors occupy the specifier position in a DP, while ’s the
head position. Although as a bound morpheme it will always attach to the phrase in
DP, it is this element that is in complementary distribution with other types of
determiners.
Q5 As it is assumed that NPs are inside DPs, APs and PPs occurring inside NPs as
modifiers may be conceived of as adjuncts inside DPs. However, these modifying
elements are always inside the NP, they never modify pronouns. Some adverbs, on the
other hand may be argued to be actual adjuncts of the functional nominal projection
and not the lexical one, as they appear preceding a D head, e.g. only, almost.