Recognizing copies: On the definition of Non-Distinctiveness

The standard approach to Non-Distinctiveness, i.e., the “sameness” relation between constituents forming a chain under Copy Theory, involves an indexing mechanism that marks as non-distinct the syntactic objects created by the Copy operation. I argue that Non-Distinctiveness is better explained as an inclusion relation between the features of constituents in a phrase marker. A representational mechanism of chain formation based on this definition is shown to offer analytical and conceptual advantages with respect to wh-copying, non-identical wh-doubling and anti-reconstruction phenomena.