Abstract

This paper proposes a new analysis of the Infinitivus Pro Participio construction (IPP) in German based on Bobaljik and Branigan's (2006) and Bobaljik's (2007) work on Chukchi. The hallmarks of the IPP are that (i) an infinitival form substitutes the otherwise expected past participle and (ii) certain constituents may appear in a position that is otherwise not available to them, i.e.behind the finite verb. Virtually all previous treatments invoke special mechanisms to account for the presence of the infinitive. Under the present analysis, by contrast, the infinitive is the default form that is inserted if the verb is displaced, thereby bleeding the participle form. Consequently, the present account views the infinitive form in the IPP as a retreat to the general case.