On FORMCOPY and the form of copy raising

This paper revisits the phenomenon of English copy raising in light of recent developments in minimalist theorizing (Chomsky 2019 et seq.), in particular the separation of copy formation (FORMCOPY) from movement (Internal Merge). After reviewing the empirical facts and previous analyses, an attempt is made to recast the copy-raising dependency in terms of an (overt) M-gap (Chomsky 2021). Despite some initial appeal, this approach soon proves unviable, due to its incompatibility with unavoidable assumptions regarding the phase-internal and/or obligatory application of FORMCOPY. An alternative analysis afforded under the weak conception of Transfer (Chomsky 2008),exploiting the possibility of what is here dubbed ‘dislocal’ movement of previously transferred material, is argued to yield a more straightforward account of the observed hyperraising profile.