Parameters of Predicate Fronting: Cross-linguistic Explorations of V(p)-initial Clauses (Oxford Studies in Comparative Syntax) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0197545556 ISBN 13: 9780197545553

Publisher: OUP USA, 2021

Synopsis

Many of the world's languages permit or require clause-initial positioning of the primary predicate, potentially alongside some or all of its dependents. While such predicate fronting (where "fronting" may or may not involve movement) is a widespread phenomenon, it is also subject to intricate and largely unexplained variation.

In Parameters of Predicate Fronting, Vera Lee-Schoenfeld and Dennis Ott bring together leaders in the field of comparative syntax to explore the empirical manifestations and theoretical modelling of predicate fronting across languages. There exists by now a rich literature on predicate fronting, but few attempts have been made at synthesizing the resulting empirical observations and theoretical implementations. While individual phenomena have been described in some detail, we are currently far from a complete understanding of the uniformity and variation underlying the wider cross-linguistic picture. This volume takes steps towards this goal by showcasing the state of the art in research on predicate fronting and the parameters governing its realization in a range of diverse languages. Covering topics like prosody, VP-fronting, and predicate doubling across a wide arrange of languages, including English, German, Malagasy, Niuean, Ch'ol, Asante, Twi, Limbum, Krachi, Hebrew, and multiple sign languages, this collection enriches our understanding of the predicate fronting phenomenon.

About this title

About the Author

Vera Lee-Schoenfeld is Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Georgia. She is the author of Beyond Coherence: The Syntax of Opacity in German (2007).

Dennis Ott is Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Ottawa, Canada.

Edition details

• Publisher: OUP USA
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0197545556
• ISBN 13: 9780197545553
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 236
• Editor: Lee-Schoenfeld Vera, Ott Dennis