Studies on Universal Grammar and Typological Variation

261 Pages·1997·10.53 MB·English

by  Artemis Alexiadou

STUDIES ON UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR
AND TYPOLOGICAL VARIATION
LINGUISTIK AKTUELL
This series provides a platform for studies in the syntax,
semantics, and pragmatics of the Germanic languages
and their historical developments.
The focus of the series is represented by its German title
Linguistik Aktuell (Linguistics Today).
Texts in the series are in English.
Series Editor
Werner Abraham
Germanistisch Instituut
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat 26
9712 EK Groningen
The Netherlands
[email protected]
Advisory Editorial Board
Guglielmo Cinque (University of Venice)
Günther Grewendorf (J.W. Goethe-University, Frankfurt)
Liliane Haegeman (University of Geneva)
Hubert Haider (University of Stuttgart)
Christer Platzack (University of Lund)
Ian Roberts (University of Stuttgart)
Ken Safir (Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ)
Höskuldur Thráinsson (University of Iceland, Reykjavik)
Lisa deMena Travis (McGill University)
Sten Vikner (University of Stuttgart)
Volume 13
Artemis Alexiadou and T. Alan Hall (eds)
Studies on Universal Grammar and Typological Variation
STUDIES ON
UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR
AND TYPOLOGICAL
VARIATION
Edited by
ARTEMIS ALEXIADOU
T. ALAN HALL
Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Berlin
JOHN BENJAMINS PUBLISHING COMPANY
AMSTERDAM/PHILADELPHIA
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences — Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Studies on universal grammar and typological variation / edited by Artemis Alexiadou, T.
Alan Hall.
p. cm. -- (Linguistik aktuell = Linguistics today, ISSN 0166-0829; v. 13)
Papers presented at a conference which was held Mar. 1994, Forschungsschwerpunkt
Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Berlin, Ger.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents: Typological implications of a directionality constraint on projections / Hubert
Haider -- Universal grammar and the typology of ergative languages / Anoop Mahajan --
Some properties of ellipsis in coordination / Chris Wilder -- Deriving the parameterisation of
the mapping hypothesis / David Adger - Syntactic dependencies and their properties : weak
islands / M. Rita Manzini -- On extraction, argument binding, and voice morphology in
Malagasy / Paul Law -- Universals and minimalist features : checking in AgrO / Elly van
Gelderen -- Genitive subjects and the VSO order / Jamal Ouhalla -- Some properties of clitics
: with special reference to modern Greek / Gaberell Drachman.
1. Grammar, Comparative and general-Congresses. 2. Typology (Linguistics)-Con-
gresses. I. Alexiadou, Artemis. II. Hall, T. Alan. III. Series: Linguistik aktuell ; Bd. 13.
P151.S94 1997
415-dc21 96-37873
ISBN 90 272 2734 9 (Eur.) / 1-55619-232-0 (US) (Hb; alk. paper) CIP
© Copyright 1997 - John Benjamins B.V.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, or any
other means, without written permission from the publisher.
John Benjamins Publishing Co. • P.O.Box 75577 • 1070 AN Amsterdam • The Netherlands
John Benjamins North America • P.O.Box 27519 • Philadelphia PA 19118-0519 • USA
Contents
List of Contributors vii-viii
Introduction 1-15
Artemis Alexiadou & T. Alan Hall
Typological Implications of a Directionality Constraint on
Projections 17-33
Hubert Haider
Universal Grammar and the Typology of Ergative Languages 35-57
Anoop Mahajan
Some Properties of Ellipsis in Coordination 59-107
Chris Wilder
Deriving the Parameterisation of the Mapping Hypothesis 109-134
David Adger
Syntactic Dependencies and their Properties: Weak Islands 135-153
M. Rita Manzini
On Extraction, Argument Binding and Voice Morphology in
Malagasy 155-179
Paul Law
Universals and Minimalist Features: Checking in AgrO 181-196
Elly van Gelderen
Genitive Subjects and the VSO Order 197-218
Jamal Ouhalla
Some Properties of Clitics: (with Special Reference to Modern
Greek) 219-248
Gaberell Drachman
Index 249-252

Contributors
David Adger T. Alan Hall
University of York Zentrum fiir
Department of Language and Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft
Linguistic Science Jägerstraβe 10/11
University of York 10117 Berlin, Germany
York, YOl 5DD [email protected]
United Kingdom
Elly van Gelderen
Artemis Alexiadou Department of English
Zentrum fiir Arizona State University
Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaf Box 870302
Jägerstraβe 10/11 Tempe, AZ 85287-0302
10117 Berlin, Germany USA
[email protected] [email protected]
Gaberell Drachman Paul Law
Dept. of Linguistics Zentrum fiir Allgemeine
University of Salzburg Sprachwissenschaft
Muehlbacherhofweg 6 Jägerstraβe 10/11
Salzburg 10117 Berlin, Germany
A-5020 Austria [email protected]
gaberell. [email protected].
Anoop Mahajan
Hubert Haider Department of Linguistics
Institut fiir Linguistik UGLA
Universität Stuttgart Los Angeles
Postf. 106037 CA 90024
D-70049 Stuttgart USA
[email protected] [email protected]
viii CONTRIBUTORS
M. Rita Manzini Chris Wilder
Dept. of Linguistics Max-Planck-Gesellschaft,
University College London Arbeitsgruppe Strukturelle
London WCIE 6BT Grammatik
[email protected] Jägerstraβe 10-11
and 10117 Berlin, Germany
Dipartimento di Linguistica [email protected]
Università di Firenze
Firnze 50121
Jamal Ouhalla
Hispanic Studies
Queen Mary and Westfield College
Mile End Road
London El 4NS
United Kingdom
[email protected]
Introduction*
Artemis Alexiadou & . Alan Hall
Zentrumfür Allgemeine Zentrum für Allgemeine
Sprachwissenschaft Sprachwissenschaft
Berlin Berlin
The present volume is an outgrowth of a conference on Universal Grammar
and Typological Variation held in March 1994 at the Forschungsschwerpunkt
Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, FAS (Research Center for General Linguistics)
in Berlin.1 The book consists of nine of the syntax papers delivered at this
conference.
In this introduction we present a brief overview of these articles and
illustrate how the topics they address fit into the general issue of how to capture
both universals and typological variation in a formal syntactic model.
1. Introductory Remarks
The main goal of modern linguistic theory has been to develop a model of
Universal Grammar (UG), which accounts for both the invariant properties of
natural languages, as well as cross-linguistic variation among individual languag­
es. Within the Principles and Parameters (PP) framework (cf. Chomsky 1981
and subsequent work), the standard way to analyze such linguistic variation is
to assume the existence of parameters, i.e. specific options permitted by UG that
interact with the general universal principles to form the grammars of the
individual languages. Work on Comparative Syntax subsequently adopted the
view that differences across languages are linked to a different parameter setting.
From this perspective an important goal in studying languages is to establish
how these reflect aspects of UG. The study of linguistic typology in the PP
theory has therefore focused on uncovering the parameters which underlie the
various typological patterns (cf. Jaeggli & Safir 1989; Freidin 1991).