On the historical core of V2 in Germanic

This paper focuses on the origin of the V2 property in the history of Germanic. Considering data from Gothic and Old English (OE), it is suggested that the historical core of the V2 phenomenon reduces to V-to-C movement that is triggered in operator contexts. Therefore, the historical system shares basic propertieswith limited V2 in Modern English. It is shown that apparent deviations from this pattern that can be observed in Gothic can be attributed to the influence of Greek word order. Concerning the apparently more elaborate V2 properties of OE, it is claimed that a large part of them in fact do not involve a Spec-head relation, but rather result from linear adjacency between the clause-initial element and a finite verb located in T0. Special attention is paid to the placement of pronominal subjects in OE, which are claimed to occupy SpecTP. This contrasts with a lower position of full subjects due to the absence of an EPP in OE. Finally, the loss of superficial V2 orders in the Middle English period is attributed to the development of an EPP feature in T

Freie Relativsätze mit d-Pronomen

In the present-day Germanic languages, free relatives (FRs) share formal properties with indirect question in that both constructions are introduced by w-pronouns. However, at least in German (and historical stages of a larger set of languages, including English), there is an additional pattern which involves the use of d-pronouns such as German der/die/das ‘that.masc./fem./neut.’, which typically introduce headed relative clauses. Focusing on presentday German, this paper shows that d-FRs are set apart from w-FRs by a number of properties including syntactic distribution in the matrix clause, behavior with respect to matching effects, inventory of pronominal forms, and semantic interpretation. From these observations, it is concluded that d-FRs should not be analyzed on a par with w-FRs. More precisely, we argue that d-FRs are in fact regular headed (restrictive) relative clauses where the relative pronoun has been deleted under identity with a demonstrative antecedent. This apparent instance of syntactic haplology is then analyzed as resulting from the same mechanism that eliminates copies/traces in movement dependencies

Zur Diachronie von Verbzweit : Die Entwicklung von Verbstellungsvarianten im Deutschen und Englischen

Eine wichtige Erkenntnis der modernen Linguistik ist, daß der synchrone Zustand einer Sprache das Resultat der komplexen Interaktion von universalen Prinzipien natürlicher Sprache und bestimmten historischen Entwicklungen darstellt. Aus dieser Sicht kann die Untersuchung sprachlichen Wandels Hinweise auf den Einfluß genereller Prinzipien liefern und dazu beitragen, weitere Erkenntnisse über die Struktur menschlicher Sprache und Sprachfähigkeit zu gewinnen. Die Einsicht, daß historische Daten wichtige Informationen enthalten, die sich einer rein synchronen Betrachtung nicht erschließen können, hat in der jüngeren Vergangenheit dazu geführt, daß die Untersuchung diachroner Aspekte auch in der generativen Syntaxforschung einen erheblichen Aufschwung erlebt hat. Die vorliegende Arbeit versteht sich als Beitrag zu diesem Forschungsprogramm. Im Zentrum des Erkenntnisinteresses steht die historische Entwicklung des sogenannten "Verbzweit-Phänomens" in den germanischen Sprachen unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Englischen und Deutschen.1 Der Begriff "V/2" bezeichnet eine syntaktische Gemeinsamkeit der germanischen Sprachen, die sich darin äußert, daß das finite Verb im Hauptsatz mit wenigen Ausnahmen stets die zweite Position im Satzgefüge einnimmt. Die sich anschließende Untersuchung stellt eine Kombination aus historisch-synchroner und diachroner Perspektive dar: Zum einen soll der Versuch unternommen werden, deskriptive Generalisierungen für unterschiedliche Stadien des V/2- Phänomens in bestimmten, historisch attestierten Formen des Germanischen zu formulieren und auf dieser Basis eine adäquate theoretische Analyse zu ermitteln. Zum anderen soll für die Sprachgeschichte des Deutschen und Englischen gezeigt werden, wie sich die Entwicklung von einem V/2-Stadium zum nächsten vollzogen hat. Im Mittelpunkt der historisch-synchronen Untersuchung werden die V/2- Eigenschaften des Altenglischen (Ae.) und Althochdeutschen (Ahd.) stehen, die systematisch von den Wortstellungsmustern der modernen V/2-Sprachen abweichen. In diesem Zusammenhang soll gezeigt werden, daß für das Ae. und Ahd. eine einheitliche Analyse anzustreben ist, die eine Form von residualem V/2 als historischen Kern des V/2-Phänomens identifiziert. Diese historisch-synchronen Übereinstimmungen sind der Ausgangspunkt für eine diachrone Untersuchung der Entwicklung unterschiedlicher typologischer Varianten des V/2-Phänomens, die im Deutschen zu obligatorischem V/2 in allen deklarativen Hauptsätzen führte, während im Englischen eine Reduzierung der V/2-Stellung auf bestimmte syntaktische Konstruktionen erfolgte. Bevor ich eine Übersicht über den Inhalt der einzelnen Kapitel gebe, möchte ich einige elementare Probleme aufzeigen sowie konzeptuelle Prämissen erläutern, die im Zusammenhang mit einer historisch-synchronen bzw. diachronen Untersuchung von Bedeutung sind

He then said..: Understudied deviations from V2 in Early Germanic

ABSTRACT This paper discusses a V3-pattern in Early Germanic that has so far not been considered independently. In this construction, a clause-initial XP is followed by the adverbial element OHG do/OE þa/OS tho (lit. ‘then’), which is directly followed by the finite verb. Based on a pilot study of the OHG translation of Tatian’s gospel harmony and the OE Blickling Homilies, it is shown that the pattern exhibits slightly different properties in OE and OHG. In OHG, the element preceding do is usually a pronominal shifting topic, while in OE, the clause-initial XP may also be a full DP that is either a shifting topic or a continuing topic. To account for these differences between OE and OHG, we argue that OE þa is first-merged as the head of a clause-medial projection that serves to mark the boundary between the topic and the focus domain. In contrast, OHG do (and OS tho) is a topic marker that is either part of the fronted shifting topic, or base-generated as a head in the left clausal periphery. As to its internal syntax, we propose a grammaticalization path for do/þa/tho in which a demonstrative adverb first turns into an adverbial discourse marker that may also serve expletive functions before it eventually grammaticalizes into the topic particle addressed in this paper

Grammar and Corpora 2016

In recent years, the availability of large annotated corpora, together with a new interest in the empirical foundation and validation of linguistic theory and description, has sparked a surge of novel work using corpus methods to study the grammar of natural languages. This volume presents recent developments and advances, firstly, in corpus-oriented grammar research with a special focus on Germanic, Slavic, and Romance languages and, secondly, in corpus linguistic methodology as well as the application of corpus methods to grammar-related fields. The volume results from the sixth international conference Grammar and Corpora (GaC 2016), which took place at the Institute for the German Language (IDS) in Mannheim, Germany, in November 2016

Grammar and Corpora 2016

In recent years, the availability of large annotated corpora, together with a new interest in the empirical foundation and validation of linguistic theory and description, has sparked a surge of novel work using corpus methods to study the grammar of natural languages. This volume presents recent developments and advances, firstly, in corpus-oriented grammar research with a special focus on Germanic, Slavic, and Romance languages and, secondly, in corpus linguistic methodology as well as the application of corpus methods to grammar-related fields. The volume results from the sixth international conference Grammar and Corpora (GaC 2016), which took place at the Institute for the German Language (IDS) in Mannheim, Germany, in November 2016.Die Verfügbarkeit großer annotierter und durchsuchbarer Korpora, verbunden mit einem neuerwachten Interesse an der empirischen Grundlegung und Validierung linguistischer Theorie und Beschreibung hat in letzter Zeit zu einer regelrechten Welle interessanter Arbeiten zur Grammatik natürlicher Sprachen geführt. Dieser Band präsentiert zum einen neuere Entwicklungen in der korpusorientierten Forschung zur Grammatik germanischer, romanischer und slawischer Sprachen und zum anderen innovative Ansätze in der einschlägigen korpuslinguistischen Methodologie, die auch Anwendung im Umfeld der Grammatik finden. Der Band fasst die Beiträge der sechsten internationalen Konferenz Grammar and Corpora zusammen, die im November 2016 am Institut für Deutsche Sprache (IDS) in Mannheim stattfand

Syntactic architecture and its consequences I: Syntax inside the grammar

This volume collects novel contributions to comparative generative linguistics that “rethink” existing approaches to an extensive range of phenomena, domains, and architectural questions in linguistic theory. At the heart of the contributions is the tension between descriptive and explanatory adequacy which has long animated generative linguistics and which continues to grow thanks to the increasing amount and diversity of data available to us. The chapters address research questions on the relation of syntax to other aspects of grammar and linguistics more generally, including studies on language acquisition, variation and change, and syntactic interfaces. Many of these contributions show the influence of research by Ian Roberts and collaborators and give the reader a sense of the lively nature of current discussion of topics in synchronic and diachronic comparative syntax ranging from the core verbal domain to higher, propositional domains. This book is complemented by volume II available at https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/276 and volume III available at https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/277

Syntactic architecture and its consequences I: Syntax inside the grammar

This volume collects novel contributions to comparative generative linguistics that “rethink” existing approaches to an extensive range of phenomena, domains, and architectural questions in linguistic theory. At the heart of the contributions is the tension between descriptive and explanatory adequacy which has long animated generative linguistics and which continues to grow thanks to the increasing amount and diversity of data available to us. The chapters address research questions on the relation of syntax to other aspects of grammar and linguistics more generally, including studies on language acquisition, variation and change, and syntactic interfaces. Many of these contributions show the influence of research by Ian Roberts and collaborators and give the reader a sense of the lively nature of current discussion of topics in synchronic and diachronic comparative syntax ranging from the core verbal domain to higher, propositional domains. This book is complemented by volume II available at https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/276 and volume III available at https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/277

Syntactic architecture and its consequences I: Syntax inside the grammar

This volume collects novel contributions to comparative generative linguistics that “rethink” existing approaches to an extensive range of phenomena, domains, and architectural questions in linguistic theory. At the heart of the contributions is the tension between descriptive and explanatory adequacy which has long animated generative linguistics and which continues to grow thanks to the increasing amount and diversity of data available to us. The chapters address research questions on the relation of syntax to other aspects of grammar and linguistics more generally, including studies on language acquisition, variation and change, and syntactic interfaces. Many of these contributions show the influence of research by Ian Roberts and collaborators and give the reader a sense of the lively nature of current discussion of topics in synchronic and diachronic comparative syntax ranging from the core verbal domain to higher, propositional domains. This book is complemented by volume II available at https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/276 and volume III available at https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/277

Syntactic architecture and its consequences I: Syntax inside the grammar

This volume collects novel contributions to comparative generative linguistics that “rethink” existing approaches to an extensive range of phenomena, domains, and architectural questions in linguistic theory. At the heart of the contributions is the tension between descriptive and explanatory adequacy which has long animated generative linguistics and which continues to grow thanks to the increasing amount and diversity of data available to us. The chapters address research questions on the relation of syntax to other aspects of grammar and linguistics more generally, including studies on language acquisition, variation and change, and syntactic interfaces. Many of these contributions show the influence of research by Ian Roberts and collaborators and give the reader a sense of the lively nature of current discussion of topics in synchronic and diachronic comparative syntax ranging from the core verbal domain to higher, propositional domains. This book is complemented by volume II available at https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/276 and volume III available at https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/277