Editing Determiner phrase (section)

===Left branches===
In English and many closely related languages, constituents on left branches underneath nouns cannot be separated from their nouns. Long-distance dependencies are impossible between a noun and the constituents that normally appear on left branches underneath the noun. This fact is addressed in terms of the Left Branch Condition.<ref>The Left Branch Condition was first identified and explored by Ross (1967).</ref> Determiners and attributive adjectives are typical "left-branch constituents". The observation is illustrated with examples of [[topicalization]] and [[wh-movement|wh-fronting]]:

 (1a) ''Fred has '''helpful''' friends.''
 (1b) ''*...and '''helpful''' Fred has friends.'' <small>- The attributive adjective ''helpful'' cannot be topicalized away from its head ''friends''.</small>

 (2a) ''Sam is waiting for the '''second''' train.'' 
 (2b) ''*...and '''second''' Sam is waiting for the train.'' <small>- The attributive adjective ''second'' cannot be topicalized away from its head ''train''.</small>

 (3a) ''Susan has '''our''' car.''
 (3b) ''*'''Whose''' does Susan have car?'' <small>- The interrogative determiner ''whose'' cannot be wh-fronted away from its head ''car''.</small>

 (4a) ''Sam is waiting for '''the second''''' train.
 (4b) ''*'''Which''' is Sam waiting for train?'' <small>- The interrogative determiner ''which'' cannot be wh-fronted away from its head ''train''.</small>

These examples illustrate that with respect to the long-distance dependencies of topicalization and wh-fronting, determiners behave like attributive adjectives. Both cannot be separated from their head noun. The NP-analysis is consistent with this observation because it positions both attributive adjectives and determiners as left-branch dependents of nouns. On a DP-analysis, however, determiners are no longer on left branches underneath nouns. In other words, the traditional NP-analysis is consistent with the fact that determiners behave just like attributive adjectives with respect to long-distance dependencies, whereas the DP-analysis cannot appeal to left branches to account for this behavior because on the DP-analysis, the determiner is no longer on a left branch underneath the noun.