Verb movement and VSO-VOS alternations*

نویسندگان

  • DIRK BURY
  • Dirk Bury
چکیده

This paper discusses an approach to syntax that offers a new perspective on verbinitial languages that allow both VSO and VOS orders. A central assumption is that word order is not rigidly determined by structure. The predictions of this model are discussed in the context of St'át'imcets, Chamorro and Tongan. A comparison with several alternative analyses of VSO-VOS alternations shows that this model is the only one that predicts that a language should display such a word order alternation. In the alternative models, one of the two orders is basic and the other is derived by a special rule.

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تاریخ انتشار 2007