Tense Features and Visibility

PAdopting Pesetsky and Torrego's (2001) proposal that D and C have an uninterpretable Tense feature, this paper proposes a new version of the Visibility Condition. Under the proposed Visibility Condition, an uninterpretable Tense feature renders an argument visible for θ-marking. Based on the new theory of Visibility, this paper argues that C is merged with TP when TP is not visible for θ-marking. Since embedded finite clauses and control infinitives in English have interpretable Tense features on T, for example, [+tense], CP must be projected over TP. On the other hand, English raising infinitives have an instance of uninterpretable Tense features (that is, [+anaphor]) and are analyzed as TP. It is furthermore argued that infinitival complements in French have the interpretable Tense feature [+indicative] or [+subjunctive] as finite clauses do, and that C is merged with TP in raising infinitives as well as in control infinitives.departmental bulletin pape