Constructions , complexity , and word order variation

This chapter is concerned with the possibility of accounting for word order and word order variation in terms of complexity. I propose that it is useful to consider word order variation in terms of competing constructions, where other things being equal, the less complex construction is preferred by speakers. This view of variation presupposes that we have a way of measuring complexity. I suggest that both formal complexity and processing complexity play a role in driving change and variation. Formal complexity has to do with how much idiosyncrasy and irregularity has to be