Feature Checking, Chain Linking, and the Distribution of Noun Phrases in Spanish

The acceptability of bare nominals in argument position in Spanish largely depends on the type of nouns involved. This discussion deals with the structure of Spanish noun phrases within the general frame- work of Minimalist syntax (Chomsky 1995a-b, among others). With the proposed nominal functional category and feature checking via chain linking, lexical specifications suggested for common nouns and proper names can account for their distribution in the clause. However, some problematic aspects of prenominal adjectives for the head-movement analysis remain.