Abstract
Takahashi and Hulsey (2009) suggest that wholesale late merger is controlled by case. This paper presents novel evidence for this idea from Condition C reconstruction effects in Mongolian local and long distance scrambling. Departing from previous accounts, I argue that the complexity of the phenomenon reveals that Condition C connectivity is neither related to the position of underlying binders, nor to A/A′-properties—Scrambling bleeds Condition C, so long as the case requirement of the late-merged NP can be satisfied. Crucially, I motivate a hybrid case system for Mongolian in which accusative case is assigned as a dependent case. I show that this is both necessary and independently motivated, thereby introducing a fine-grained view of case into the WLM mechanism.
