Complementizer Deletion in Spanish Revisiting the Empirical Evidence

Complementizer Deletion (CD) in Spanish is allowed with an emotional selecting verb and an irrealis embedded verb. No XPs can occupy the preverbal embedded position. The traditional accounts divided into two opposite strands: one argues that que -less clauses are IP structures, the other defends the presence of a C-layer and assumes that CD constitutes the alternative checker of the overt complementizer, thus requiring the verb movement to C° to check the relevant features. This article builds on the assumption that the CP is projected when the complementizer is omitted but proposes that no verb movement takes place. Empirical evidence based on the order of the embedded verb, subjects and adverbs will be provided to show that the inflected verb remains in a low position. The data, which are taken from two corpora of Spanish language, will also testify a wider production of CD beyond verbs of emotion. The analysis is framed within the Cartographic Approach.