Is rootness a syntactic property? Using non-sententials (or fragments) as its empirical basis, this paper demonstrates that units smaller than the clause can host root phenomena (such as dislocated topics in French and politeness markers in Japanese), and that this is possible in cases where a full-clause analysis is ruled out, i.e. in the absence of the C-domain. This puts into question the status of syntactic Force as necessary embodiment for pragmatic Force.
De Cat, Cécile. (2013). Root phenomena as interface phenomena: Evidence from non-sententials. In R. Folli & J. C. Trueswell (Eds.), Syntax and its Limits. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Final draft (pdf)