wh-island

English
Examples

a. John wonders where Eric went to buy a gift.
b. ??What does John wonder where Eric went to buy __?
a. Susan asked why Sam was waiting for Fred.
b. *Whom did Susan ask why Sam was waiting for __?
The b. sentences are strongly marginal/unacceptable because one has attempted to extract an expression out of a wh-island.

Noun

wh-island (plural wh-islands)

  1. (grammar) An island (phrase from which a wh-word cannot be extracted) created by an embedded sentence that is a dependent clause introduced by a wh-word.
    • 2011, Gereon Müller, Constraints on Displacement: A Phase-based Approach:
      Extraction of a non-argument XP from a wh-island typically gives rise to strong deviance […]
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