"Who did you see [a picture of ___]?" (The phrase is the object).
Extracting from a subject might simply be too mentally taxing for the brain to process in real-time. Exceptions and "Parasitic" Gaps
Not all subject islands are equally strong. Some violations become acceptable if they are "saved" by a second gap in the sentence, known as a .
Subjects usually provide "old" information (the background). Trying to pull a "new" focus out of a backgrounded subject creates a mental clash.
Modern theories suggest certain phrases are "phases" that become invisible to the rest of the sentence once completed. 2. The Information Structure View
Some researchers suggest the problem isn't grammar, but .
Linguists debate whether these "walls" are built into our mental grammar or caused by how we process information. 1. The Architectural View
"Who did you see [a picture of ___]?" (The phrase is the object).
Extracting from a subject might simply be too mentally taxing for the brain to process in real-time. Exceptions and "Parasitic" Gaps
Not all subject islands are equally strong. Some violations become acceptable if they are "saved" by a second gap in the sentence, known as a .
Subjects usually provide "old" information (the background). Trying to pull a "new" focus out of a backgrounded subject creates a mental clash.
Modern theories suggest certain phrases are "phases" that become invisible to the rest of the sentence once completed. 2. The Information Structure View
Some researchers suggest the problem isn't grammar, but .
Linguists debate whether these "walls" are built into our mental grammar or caused by how we process information. 1. The Architectural View