Abstract

In this paper I discuss the remnant movement construction in German with respect to two properties i) the nature of the unbound trace that is located inside the remnant i.e. either as an “adjunct-type” or as an “argument-type” trace (but see below for a refinement of this distinction) and ii) the landing site of its antecedent either in a low νP-internal position or in a higher position in or above TP. The data show that unbound traces are always licensed when the antecedent is in a low νP-internal position whereas only unbound argument traces are licensed in the higher position. It will be argued that the formal features of a DP may license the unbound copy of an argument in the remnant movement construction. No similar operation is available for unbound adjunct-type traces. Assuming a phasal approach, I will argue that no unbound copy at all is created in the case of νP-fronting with an antecedent in the low position thereby explaining why “unbound traces” are always licensed when the antecedent is in a low position.