On the Syntax of English Restrictive Relative Clauses

English finite restrictive relative clauses come in three different forms.It is argued that on a unified account all the three can be analyzed as CPs headed by that or a covert complementizer to provide the declarative force of the clause.Contrary to common belief,that at the beginning of the relative clause is not a relative pronoun but a simple complementizer.Constrained by the Complemmentizer Condition,a relative CP can contain only either an overt wh-relative or an overt complementizer,even though the two occupy different structural positions.