A new case for structural intervention: evidence from Wenzhounese relative clauses

This paper is the first investigation of relative clauses (RCs) in Wenzhounese (a variety of Wu spoken in Southern Zhejiang province, China). We provide a raising analysis of Wenzhounese RCs and discuss two main families of hypotheses for the subject preference observed in postnominal RCs, namely the linear intervention hypothesis and the hierarchical intervention hypothesis. To examine the validity of these two hypotheses, we tested fifty-six children (aged 3–6) and twenty-six adults on their production of Wenzhounese RCs. Head-external (prenominal) RCs, head-internal RCs, doubling RCs and headless RCs were elicited. The results show a subject preference in the production of head-external and headless RCs in both groups, but an object preference in the production of head-internal and doubling RCs. These findings support the notion that intervention in movement chains is computed hierarchically, not linearly.