Meanings
nounwh-island (plural wh-islands)
plural wh-islands
- grammarAn 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.
Extraction of a non-argument XP from a wh-island typically gives rise to strong deviance […]
2011, Gereon Müller, Constraints on Displacement: A Phase-based Approach
Cite this entry
APA
wh-island. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wh-island
MLA
“wh-island.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wh-island. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wh-island,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wh-island.
Source: wh-island on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.