An Optimality Theory Analysis of Object Shift

2014 ◽  
pp. 46-91
Author(s):  
Eva Engels ◽  
Sten Vikner
Keyword(s):  
Optimality Theory ◽  
Theory Analysis ◽  
Object Shift

VP anaphors and Object Shift: What do VP anaphors reveal about the licensing conditions for Object Shift in Danish?

2013 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bjarne Ørsnes
Keyword(s):  
Structural Properties ◽  
Optimality Theory ◽  
Information Structure ◽  
Theory Analysis ◽  
Object Shift ◽  
Structure Properties

The article discusses the placement of the VP anaphor det ‘it’ as a complement of verbs selecting VP complements in Danish. With verbs that only allow a VP complement, the VP anaphor must be in SpecCP regardless of its information structure properties. If SpecCP is occupied by an operator, the anaphor can be in situ, but it cannot shift. With verbs that allow its VP complement to alternate with an NP complement, the VP anaphor can be in SpecCP, shifted or in situ according to the information structural properties of the anaphor. Only if SpecCP is occupied by an operator, must a topical anaphor be in situ. The article argues that a shifted pronominal in Danish must be categorially licensed by the verb and extends this analysis to shifting locatives. An Optimality Theory analysis is proposed that accounts for the observed facts.

scholarly journals Case-Marking Strategies

2008 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 565-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen de Hoop ◽  
Andrej L. Malchukov
Keyword(s):  
Optimality Theory ◽  
Theory Analysis ◽  
Natural Languages ◽  
Differential Object Marking ◽  
Case Marking ◽  
Bidirectional Optimality Theory ◽  
Object Marking

Two strategies of case marking in natural languages are discussed. These are defined as two violable constraints whose effects are shown to converge in the case of differential object marking but diverge in the case of differential subject marking. The discourse prominence of the case-bearing arguments is shown to be of utmost importance for case-marking and voice alternations. The analysis of the case-marking patterns that are found crosslinguistically is couched in a bidirectional Optimality Theory analysis.

scholarly journals Harmonic Uniformity and Hungarian front/back harmony

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Péter Rebrus ◽  
Miklós Törkenczy
Keyword(s):  
Optimality Theory ◽  
Theory Analysis ◽  
Phonological Constraints ◽  
Traditional Assumption ◽  
Complex Forms ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Paradigm Uniformity

AbstractIn the paper we argue against the traditional assumption about the relationship between morphology and harmony in Hungarian according to which monomorphemic and polymorphemic (suffixed) forms behave in the same way harmonically within the domain of harmony. We show that the harmonic properties of the root are inherited by morphologically complex forms based on the root and this can override the phonological restrictions on harmony. We propose an Optimality Theory analysis of the interaction between the phonological constraints on harmony and the paradigm uniformity constraint Harmonic Uniformity.

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