The distinction between lexical and functional elements plays a major role in current
research in syntax and neighboring aspects of the study of language. In this article, we …

The biolinguistic perspective regards the language faculty as an “organ of the body,” along
with other cognitive systems. Adopting it, we expect to find three factors that interact to …

This article presents a unified theory of polarity-sensitive items (PSIs) based on the notion of
domain widening. PSIs include negative polarity items (like Italian mai 'ever'), universal free …

A language is called a verb-second (V2) language when the finite verb is obligatorily the
second constituent, either specifically in main clauses or in all finite clauses.(1) a. Jag har …

In this paper a novel approach to (a subpart of) the null subject parameter is proposed, in
which the interpretation of a thematic pro in subject position is crucially dependent on the …

This monograph is the first book-length study on Old High German syntax from a generative
perspective in twenty years. It provides an in-depth exploration of the Old High German pre …

Speakers have competent intuitions in assessing word order alternations as well as in
judging different prosodic patterns. Speakers can find a certain superficial word order tout …

This paper compares two different ways that natural languages have to deal with personal
arguments. In “animacy-based” systems (exemplified here by Plains Cree) the transitive verb …

This article examines the formalization of negative concord in terms of the Minimalist
Program, focusing entirely on negative concord in West Flemish. It is shown that a recent …

This book explores the empirical and theoretical aspects of constituent structure in natural
language syntax. It surveys a wide variety of functionalist and formalist theoretical …