Complementizer Distribution in Sinhala

Abstract

The extensive amount of empirical studies and consequent theorizing associated with the complementizer show the prominence attached to this functional category over the last few decades. Its evolution from an underdetermined status to a 'core functional category' is evident in its syntactic anchoring as a Phase in the current Minimalist approaches. Concurrently with these developments, there have been Cartographic approaches that have attempted to project the complementizer in a different perspective. However, both these approaches, the Minimalist and the Cartographic, have maintained their distinctiveness thus showing less potential for convergence. In this paper I attempt to incorporate Rizzi's (1997) Left Periphery analysis into the Generative framework with evidence from complementizer distribution in Sinhala.