Abstract

The paper aims at investigating the properties of passive sentences in Jordanian Arabic (henceforth) JA, and providing a deeper understanding and precise description of the syntactic and semantic features of passivization. It also aims at examining the structure and derivation of passive sentences under the Minimalist Program. Principles like feature checking, and merger are agued to provide an account for JA passive sentences. In case of active transitive sentences, the paper has claimed that JA has a strong NP feature of T which induces overt NP movement of the subject NP out of the VP internal position, that is, the [Spec, and VP]. In the passive transforms of transitive sentences, the object NP moves to the [Spec, VP], and then to the [Spec, IP] to have its Nom Case check ed off. JA allows the merger between the passive morpheme and the verb. Thus, the verb raises to T to have its φ features checked by the V- features of T. Similar observations can be noticed in intransitive sentences, the subject NP must be fronted to [Spec, TP] in order to satisfy EPP features. The [+V] feature of T attracts the verb to raise and check the [+ V] feature.