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Object shift and optionality. An intricate interplay between syntax, prosody and information structure

In English

Författare

Summary, in English

The topic of my article is Object Shift and optionality, mainly from a Swedish viewpoint. I present the result of a survey, which shows that informant‟s intuitions concerning the wellformedness of shifted and non-shifted sentences vary to a large degree. For sentences with monotransitive verbs and monosyllabic object pronouns, such as den (it.common) ‟it‟, the shifted alternative is preferred, whereas there is a tie for sentences with disyllabic object pronouns, such as honom ‟him‟ and henne ‟her‟. The picture is similar for ditransitive constructions. Sentences with the order direct object > indirect object are generally rejected by the informants, even though such sentences are considered less ungrammatical if both objects have undergone Object Shift.

I also outline an analysis, according to which Object Shift is triggered by information structure, more specifically by a general propensity for old/thematic elements to appear in the middle field. However, Object Shift is blocked if ungrammatical structures arise, such as OV constituent order. The bias for monomorphemic pronouns to shift and a stronger tendency for bimorphemic pronouns to remain in situ is explained by the phonological properties of the lexical items involved. Thus, in order to understand OS we need to take different factors into account: information structure, syntax and prosody.

Avdelning/ar

Publiceringsår

2010

Språk

Engelska

Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie

Working Papers in Scandinavian Syntax

Volym

86

Dokumenttyp

Working paper

Förlag

Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University

Ämne

  • Languages and Literature

Nyckelord

  • prosody
  • object shift
  • optionality
  • OV/VO
  • information structure
  • directionality parameter
  • Holmberg's generalization

Status

Published

Forskningsgrupp

  • GRIMM

ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt

  • ISSN: 1100-097X