COPULA, WH-TRACE, AND THE ECP IN MAURITIAN CREOLE

Mauritian Creole has a null (i.e. phi) and overt form (i.e. ete) of th e copula, which are in complementary distribution. The former occurs i n the context of a following overt phrase, the latter in the context o f a following wh-trace, although in root interrogatives lacking overt functional categories, they are optional. The phenomenon is therefore similar to auxiliary contraction in English or copula deletion in Blac k English Vernacular. The paper examines the nature of this distributi on and proposes a unified approach to the variable forms of the copula in these languages. It further explores the condition whereby the nul l form in Mauritian Creole becomes possible in root interrogatives and suggests that an optional V-I-C movement operates, which, if it appli es, results in the copula being in C where It is followed by an overt phrase. The final part of the paper addresses the question of why the copula is overt in the context of a following trace. It is suggested, following a proposal in Aoun et al. (1987) on the licensing of traces, that wh-traces in Mauritian Creole require a ''visible'' head governo r in order to satisfy the ECP. The paper lends support to Aoun et al.' s suggestion that the ECP be carved up so that its licensing condition applies at PF and its identification requirement at LF.