Split Tense Projection in Urdu: An Illusion
Keywords:
Projection, Inflection, Aspect, Tense, Derivation, unvaluedAbstract
This study explores the cartography of Tense Projection (TP) in the Urdu/Hindi language within the framework of feature sharing proposed by Pesetsky and Torrego (2007). To examine feature sharing, the study employs Head Movement Constraints (HMC) as proposed by Travis (1984) to analyze the role of intervening elements in Urdu/Hindi T-Projection. Additionally, it demonstrates how HMC restricts T to V or V to T movement in Urdu, contrasting with English where such movement is permitted in the absence of an intervening head (Ho). This study explores the inflection of V in Urdu concerning aspect and tense marking through the lens of feature sharing. Drawing on evidence from Urdu/Hindi, it strongly asserts that V in Urdu does not inflect to mark tense but solely for aspectual distinctions: habitual (ta), imperfective (iya), perfective (chuka), and progressive (raha), while tense marking (present (hai) and past (tha)) is achieved through other means. Furthermore, these findings endorse the Feature Sharing Theory by affirming the significance of valuing unvalued features for the interpretability of uninterpretable features during derivation, emphasizing the necessity for all features to be valued and interpreted before spell-out to avoid derivation crashes.
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