Direct and parasitic polarity item licensing

Abstract Dutch has a peculiar polarity item, referred to hereinafteras 'polar-heel' – a hitherto largely undiscussed incarnation of the adjective/quantifier heel 'whole'. This paper will show that polar-heel can be licensed in either of two ways: via direct licensing or via parasitic licensing. The restrictions on the direct licensing of polar-heel reveal that this element is a strictly negative polarity item raising in the overt syntax to establish a Spec-Head agreement relationship with the negative head $ Neg^