Theoretical Approaches to Disharmonic Word Order

Edited by Theresa Biberauer and Michelle Sheehan

Provides a broad state-of-the-art introduction to the topic
Covers the major approaches to word order in formal linguistics
Includes data from typologically distinct languages

Theoretical Approaches to Disharmonic Word Order

Edited by Theresa Biberauer and Michelle Sheehan

Description

This book considers the implications of cross-linguistic word-order patterns for linguistic theory. One of the salient results of Joseph Greenberg's pioneering work in language typology was the notion of a 'harmonic' word-order type, whereby if the verb appears at the left or right edge of the verb phrase, other heads (e.g. prepositions, nouns) also tend to do so. Today, however, there is recognition in both the typological and generative literature that very many, and possibly even the majority of languages, fail to be fully harmonic in the sense that all head-complement pairs pattern alike. But does this imply limitless variation? The chapters in this volume, written by international scholars, discuss the issues arising from this basic question, drawing on data from typologically distinct disharmonic languages, including Mandarin Chinese, Basque, Mocheno (a Tyrolean variety spoken in Northern Italy), French, English, Hixkaryana (a Cariban language), Khalkha Mongolian, Uyghur Turkic, and Afrikaans.

The volume begins with a substantial introduction to the study of word order and its relation to linguistic theory. It is then divided into sections on the nature of disharmony; the role of prosody; the question of Antisymmetry and novel alternatives to Antisymmetry; and the Final-over-Final Constraint. Aside from introducing new empirical findings, the volume also offers a range of new perspectives on disharmonic word orders, the status of word order in linguistic theory, and theoretical accounts of typological gaps.

Theoretical Approaches to Disharmonic Word Order

Edited by Theresa Biberauer and Michelle Sheehan

1. Introduction, Theresa Biberauer and Michelle Sheehan
Part I: On the Nature of Disharmony
2. Word-order Typology: a change of perspective, Guglielmo CInque
3. Postpositions vs. Prepositions in Mandarin Chinese: the articulation of disharmony, Redouane Djamouri, Waltraud Paul, and John Whitman
4. The Mixed OV/VO Syntax of Mocheno Main Clauses: on the interaction between high and low left periphery, Federica Cognola
Part II: The Role of Prosody
5. Universal Default Right Headedness and How Stress Determines Word Order, Joseph E. Emonds
6. (Dis)harmonic Word Order and Phase-based Restrictions on Phrasing and Spell-out, Roland Hinterholzl
7. A Stress-based Theory of Disharmonic Word Orders, Hisao Tokizaki and Yasutomo Kuwana
Part III: The Question of Antisymmetry
8. Whare Are There no Directionality Parameters?, Richard Kayne
9. Antisymmetry and Hixkaryana, Michael Barrie
10. Postverbal Constituents in SOV Languages, Balkiz Ozturk
11. On the Relevance of the Head Parameter in a Mixed OV Language, Arantzazu Elordieta
Part IV: Novel Alternatives to Antisymmetry
12. Afrikaans Mixed Adposition Orders as a PF-linearization Effect, Mark de Vos
13. A Traversal parameter at the PF Interface: graph-theoretical linearization of bare phrase structure, Takashi Toyoshima
Part V: The Final-over-Final Constraint
14. Disharmonic Word Orders From a Processing Efficiency Perspective, John A. Hawkins
15. Sentence-final Particles, Complementizers, Antisymmetry, and the Final-over-Final Constraint, Brian Hok-Shing Chan
16. Explaining the Final-over-Final Constraint: formal and functional approaches, Michelle Sheehan
References
Index

Theoretical Approaches to Disharmonic Word Order

Edited by Theresa Biberauer and Michelle Sheehan

Author Information

Theresa Biberauer, Senior Research Associate, University of Cambridge,Michelle Sheehan, Research Associate, University of Cambridge

Theresa Biberauer is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, where she is also a Fellow of Churchill College, and an Associate Professor Extraordinary at her South African alma mater, Stellenbosch University. Her research interests are principally in theoretical and comparative (synchronic and diachronic) morphosyntax, with Germanic generally and Afrikaans in particular being areas of specific interest. Her past work has focused on word-order variation, (null) subject phenomena, negation, information structure, and the larger question of the nature of parametric variation.

Michelle Sheehan is a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge specialising in comparative syntax with a particular interest in the Romance languages. She has worked on null arguments, Control, word order variation, extraposition, clausal-nominal parallels and case/alignment. She is co-author of the CUP volume Parametric Variation: Null Subjects in Minimalist Theory and the forthcoming volumes The Final over Final Constraint (MIT Press) and The Philosophy of Universal Grammar (OUP).

Contributors:

Theresa Biberauer, University of Cambridge
Michelle Sheehan, University of Cambridge
Michael Barrie, Sogang University, Korea
Brian Hok-Shing Chan, University of Macau
Guglielmo CInque, University of Venice
Federica Cognola, University of Trento
Redouane Djamouri, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Arantzazu Elordieta, University of the Basque Country
Joseph E. Emonds,
John A. Hawkins, University of California Davis
Roland Hinterhölzl, University of Venice, Ca'Foscari
Richard Kayne,
Yasutomo Kuwana, Asahikawa Jitsugyo High School
Balkiz Öztürk, Bogaziçi University
Waltraud Paul, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Hisao Tokizaki, Sapporo University
Takashi Toyoshima, Kyushu Institute of Technology
Mark de Vos, Rhodes University
John Whitman, Cornell University

Theoretical Approaches to Disharmonic Word Order

Edited by Theresa Biberauer and Michelle Sheehan

Reviews and Awards

"The book reviewed is impressive from many points of view... It goes without saying that the book is a 'must-read' not only for researchers interested in the issue of word order, but also for typologists, generativists, theoreticians, and descriptive linguists." --Linguist List