Wh-movement with the question word 'how'

[dawnstar22]

Hi!

I'm trying to draw the S-structure of the following sentence: How quickly can he run?
This is what my D-structure looks like:
[tree] [CP [C-bar [C[e]][IP [DP[he]][I-bar[I[can]][VP[V-bar[V[run]][DegP[Deg-bar[Deg[how]][AP[A-bar[quickly]]]]]]]]]]] [/tree]

I know that turning this into the S-sructure will involve I to C movement and the expression 'how quickly' has to be the specifier of the CP. But I'd like to ask if what I have done so far is correct.

Thank you in advance for your help! 

[Daniel]

Broadly, that is not obviously wrong.

However, the details depend on exactly how you are implementing X-bar theory (for example, what your textbook requires).

If you're assuming Wh-movement, then why not also have subject movement? If you're representing D-structure as before all movement, then you might look at these other issues also.

By the way, D-structure and S-structure are somewhat outdated ideas (at least in that exact phrasing), but again it depends on the details of the book or particular theory you're adopting.

Note that "AP" means usually Adjective Phrase, so I think you should have "AdvP" for "quickly".

Regarding "how" specifically, why do you treat it as a DegP headed by "how" rather than an AdvP headed by "quickly"?

I would also wonder why you're using "Deg", rather than "Adv", since that implies that there is a specific lexical entry for "how" as a wh-item for Deg, although there's nothing obviously wrong with that claim.