Minimal Governing Category

Minimal Governing Category is a Implementation of the notion binding domain, proposed in Chomsky (1981). The MGC of alpha is defined as the minimal XP (maximal projection) that contains alpha, a SUBJECT accessible to alpha, and the governor of alpha.

Example

in (i) the MGC of the anaphor each other is the embedded IP, since it contains each other, the accessible subject the men, and the governor like. Hence, each other must be bound within this IP in compliance with condition A of the binding theory, and may not be coindexed with the girls, which is not contained in its MGC.

(i) the girlsi believe that [IP the menj like each otherj/*i ]

Links

Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics

References

• Chomsky, N. 1981. Lectures on Government and Binding, Foris, Dordrecht.