Wh-subjects in the shammari dialect of arabic

The movement of wh-subject questions is a controversial matter since there is no overt displacement or auxiliary inversion. In this thesis, I explore two approaches that dealt with this phenomenon the first approach is the Vacuous Movement Hypotheses (VMH) suggested by George (1980) and embraced by Chomsky (1986); the second approach is a hybrid movement approach suggested by Agbayani (2000, 2007). The purpose of this thesis is to show that wh-subject elements do move locally to the [Spec-CP] unlike what the VMH claims. In this thesis, I provide empirical evidence from the Shammari dialect of Arabic (SA) which shows a visible overt movement of the wh-subject to [SPEC-CP]. Furthermore, I investigate the phenomenon of wh-subject movement adopting a feature movement (or Move F) approach through which I posit a solution to some of the problems that a full movement approach to subject wh questions fails to address. Many of these problems fundamentally derive from the VMH. Finally, by adopting a feature movement approach, I present positive evidence supporting the Move F approach in SA.