Words by default: optimizing constraints and the Persian complex predicate

Complex predicates (CPs) are predicates which act in some way as a single word, and in another way like more than one word. Persian (Farsi) has many such complex predicates that consist of a non-verbal element, the host, followed by a light verb. These CPs are of interest because they display both lexical and phrasal properties.This paper offers an account in which the Persian CP is treated as a construction represented in the lexicon. It is argued that its expression as a simple word or as a phrasal entity is determined by the interaction of a set typologically natural ranked constraints. An outcome of this analysis is that the categorial status of the CP can be viewed as a simple verb by default. V0 status is motivated by the CPs lexical properties. It entails that the host and light verb be unseparated and that they may undergo derivational processes. The V0 status is a default in the sense that it can be overridden if and only if there is a competing higher ranke