Patterns of syntactic agreement with embedded NPs

•Natural languages may allow or not an agreement relation with an embedded NP.•We propose a micro-parametric syntactic account for such variation.•Variation is linked to whether the introducing the embedded NP is a phase or not.•The configuration of the θ greed and the markedness of the ϕ features are involved.

In this paper we analyze the different patterns of agreement found cross-linguistically with complex NPs involving an approximate numeral/quantifiers and a preposition, which selects an embedded NP. Verbal agreement can target either the numeral item/quantifier or the embedded NP. Languages differ on whether they allow agreement just with the quantifier (French, Barese), with the embedded NP (Occitan, Sardinian) or they show optional agreement with both quantifier and the embedded NP (Italian, Spanish). We will propose a syntactic account for such variation: it is linked to whether the PP that introduces the embedded NP is a phase or not. The configuration of the θ greed and the markedness of the ϕ features, then, are also involved into the present syntactic account.