Variation in the Phase Structure of Applicatives * MARTHA McGINNIS University of Calgary Until recently, cross-linguistic differences in the syntax of applicative constructions have been attributed to arbitrary variation (e.g. Baker 1988, Bresnan & Moshi 1990, Marantz 1993). For example, it has been argued that A-movement, like A-bar movement, respects relativized minimality, and that cross-linguistic variations in the formation of the double-object construction arise in part from the presence or absence of an “escape hatch,” which allows the lower object to leapfrog over the higher one to the subject position (Ura 1996, McGinnis 1998). Like other accounts that assume arbitrary variation, this account raises a learnability issue: how could a child learn that an escape hatch is available? The present paper offers the beginnings of an answer, by arguing that this escape hatch affects a wide range of linguistic phenomena. The central proposal is that a substantial amount of the cross-linguistic variation in properties of “applicative” constructions (such as the double-object construction) is reducible to a lexical parameter. The lexicon contains one or more applicative (Appl) heads, which may denote either a relation between an event and an individual, or a relation between two individuals (Pylkkänen 2001). (1a) shows the first type, and (1b) shows the second. (1) a. ApplHP b. VP IO ApplH' V ApplLP ApplH VP IO ApplL' V DO ApplL DO * This is an expanded version of a paper presented at NELS 31. Special thanks go to Jeffrey Lidz, Youri Zabbal, and the participants of the MIT Appl-Fest workshop for their feedback. I am also grateful to a number of consultants for their judgement and discussion. My Italian consultants included Paola Benincà, Pier Marco Bertinetto, Stefano Bertolo, Giancarlo Buoiano, Nicola Cancedda, Ivano Caponigro, Maria Luisa Ciminelli, Roberta D’Alessandro, Federica Da Milano, Mariapaola D’Imperio, Michela Ippolito, Gisella Ferraresi, Raffaella Folli, Nicola Mastidoro, Frida Morelli, Patrizia Paggio, Sandra Paoli, Giovanna Rocca, Andrea Sansó, Mario Saraceni, and Elina Savino. Other language consultants are cited throughout.