A-Locality at the Edge

The goal of this talk is to push forward our understand of the A-A’ divide by studying an exceptional type of movement to the edge of the phase. In Mandar, an Austronesian language of Indonesia, I show that there is a subject position just above the extended VP that typically attracts the closest Caseless DP. Breaking from the usual rules of A-locality, however, the probe that drives this movement will skip its usual targets whenever it can target more interesting goals in lower positions- stranding DPs without Case to attract a class of ‘‘priority parcels’’ that includes pronouns, wh-phrases, and quantified XPs. I show that all these patterns of attraction must still operate within the A-syntax, develop a theory of how they might emerge, and build from these results toward a new picture of the A-A’ divide.