Abstract The Gradual Learning Algorithm (Boersma 1997) is a constraint-ranking algorithm
for learning optimality-theoretic grammars. The purpose of this article is to assess the …

Identically to the sentences in (1), the sentences in (2) contain a whphrase that must
reconstruct below every man/woman in order for hel she to be bound, and above Mary/John …

Antecedent-contained deletion poses a problem for theories of ellipsis, a problem that,
according to much literature, is solved by Quantifier Raising. The solution, however, conflicts …

A recurring pattern of partial correlations between word order variation and scope
possibilities (the ¾ signature) supports a particular view of economy constraints in syntax …

In this article, we develop a substantially expanded theory of late merger. Adopting related
insights by Fox (2002), we argue that late merger is permitted whenever an output …

This article tests the hypothesis that young children have a maturational difficulty with A-
chain formation that makes them unable to represent unaccusative verbs in an adultlike …

In the last decade, the notions of topic and focus have come to play an increasingly relevant
role in theoretical linguistics. Although these notions are often taken for granted, they are still …

A series of recent works (Chomsky 2021, Chomsky et al. 2023, Chomsky 2024) offers a
novel theory of Obligatory Control (OC), based on the operation Form Copy (FC), which …

We propose here a new PF account of the that-trace effect. Adopting the phase-based theory
of the syntax-phonology interface and independent principles of prosodic restructuring, we …

This article shows that Error-Driven Constraint Demotion (EDCD), an error-driven learning
algorithm proposed by Tesar (1995) for Prince and Smolensky's (1993/2004) version of …