The Final-Over-Final Condition

A Syntactic Universal

Foreword by David Pesetsky
Look inside
Paperback
$50.00 US
On sale Oct 27, 2017 | 464 Pages | 9780262534161
An examination of the evidence for and the theoretical implications of a universal word order constraint, with data from a wide range of languages.

This book presents evidence for a universal word order constraint, the Final-over-Final Condition (FOFC), and discusses the theoretical implications of this phenomenon. FOFC is a syntactic condition that disallows structures where a head-initial phrase is contained in a head-final phrase in the same extended projection/domain. The authors argue that FOFC is a linguistic universal, not just a strong tendency, and not a constraint on processing. They discuss the effects of the universal in various domains, including the noun phrase, the adjective phrase, the verb phrase, and the clause. The book draws on data from a wide range of languages, including Hindi, Turkish, Basque, Finnish, Afrikaans, German, Hungarian, French, English, Italian, Romanian, Arabic, Hebrew, Mandarin, Pontic Greek, Bagirmi, Dholuo, and Thai.

FOFC, the authors argue, is important because it is the only known example of a word order asymmetry pertaining to the order of heads. As such, it has significant repercussions for theories connecting the narrow syntax to linear order.

Michelle Sheehan is Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University.

Theresa Biberauer is Principal Research Associate in the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at the University of Cambridge and Professor in the Department of General Linguistics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Ian Roberts is Professor of Linguistics and Professorial Fellow at Downing College at the University of Cambridge.

Anders Holmberg is Professor of Theoretical Linguistics at Newcastle University and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

David Pesetsky is Ferrari P. Ward Professor of Modern Languages and Linguistics and Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellow at MIT. He is the author of Zero Syntax: Experiencers and Cascades and Phrasal Movement and Its Kin, both published by the MIT Press. Pesetsky is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and was recently elected a Fellow of the Linguistic Society of America.

Anders Holmberg is Professor of Theoretical Linguistics at Newcastle University and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

Theresa Biberauer is Principal Research Associate in the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at the University of Cambridge and Professor in the Department of General Linguistics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Anders Holmberg is Professor of Theoretical Linguistics at Newcastle University and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

Ian Roberts is Professor of Linguistics and Professorial Fellow at Downing College at the University of Cambridge.

Michelle Sheehan is Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University.

Ian Roberts is Professor of Linguistics and Professorial Fellow at Downing College at the University of Cambridge.

Anders Holmberg is Professor of Theoretical Linguistics at Newcastle University and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

Michelle Sheehan is Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University.

Michelle Sheehan is Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University.

Michelle Sheehan is Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University.

Ian Roberts is Professor of Linguistics and Professorial Fellow at Downing College at the University of Cambridge.

Theresa Biberauer is Principal Research Associate in the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at the University of Cambridge and Professor in the Department of General Linguistics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Anders Holmberg is Professor of Theoretical Linguistics at Newcastle University and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

Ian Roberts is Professor of Linguistics and Professorial Fellow at Downing College at the University of Cambridge.

About

An examination of the evidence for and the theoretical implications of a universal word order constraint, with data from a wide range of languages.

This book presents evidence for a universal word order constraint, the Final-over-Final Condition (FOFC), and discusses the theoretical implications of this phenomenon. FOFC is a syntactic condition that disallows structures where a head-initial phrase is contained in a head-final phrase in the same extended projection/domain. The authors argue that FOFC is a linguistic universal, not just a strong tendency, and not a constraint on processing. They discuss the effects of the universal in various domains, including the noun phrase, the adjective phrase, the verb phrase, and the clause. The book draws on data from a wide range of languages, including Hindi, Turkish, Basque, Finnish, Afrikaans, German, Hungarian, French, English, Italian, Romanian, Arabic, Hebrew, Mandarin, Pontic Greek, Bagirmi, Dholuo, and Thai.

FOFC, the authors argue, is important because it is the only known example of a word order asymmetry pertaining to the order of heads. As such, it has significant repercussions for theories connecting the narrow syntax to linear order.

Author

Michelle Sheehan is Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University.

Theresa Biberauer is Principal Research Associate in the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at the University of Cambridge and Professor in the Department of General Linguistics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Ian Roberts is Professor of Linguistics and Professorial Fellow at Downing College at the University of Cambridge.

Anders Holmberg is Professor of Theoretical Linguistics at Newcastle University and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

David Pesetsky is Ferrari P. Ward Professor of Modern Languages and Linguistics and Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellow at MIT. He is the author of Zero Syntax: Experiencers and Cascades and Phrasal Movement and Its Kin, both published by the MIT Press. Pesetsky is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and was recently elected a Fellow of the Linguistic Society of America.

Anders Holmberg is Professor of Theoretical Linguistics at Newcastle University and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

Theresa Biberauer is Principal Research Associate in the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at the University of Cambridge and Professor in the Department of General Linguistics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Anders Holmberg is Professor of Theoretical Linguistics at Newcastle University and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

Ian Roberts is Professor of Linguistics and Professorial Fellow at Downing College at the University of Cambridge.

Michelle Sheehan is Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University.

Ian Roberts is Professor of Linguistics and Professorial Fellow at Downing College at the University of Cambridge.

Anders Holmberg is Professor of Theoretical Linguistics at Newcastle University and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

Michelle Sheehan is Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University.

Michelle Sheehan is Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University.

Michelle Sheehan is Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University.

Ian Roberts is Professor of Linguistics and Professorial Fellow at Downing College at the University of Cambridge.

Theresa Biberauer is Principal Research Associate in the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at the University of Cambridge and Professor in the Department of General Linguistics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Anders Holmberg is Professor of Theoretical Linguistics at Newcastle University and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

Ian Roberts is Professor of Linguistics and Professorial Fellow at Downing College at the University of Cambridge.

Celebrating 100 years of James Baldwin

In celebration of James Baldwin, the literary legend and civil rights champion, and the centennial of his birth, we are sharing a collection of his work.   James Baldwin (1924–1987) was a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, appeared in 1953 to excellent reviews, and his essay collections Notes

Read more

The New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

The New York Times recently published their list “100 Best Books of the 21st Century.” We are pleased to announce that there are 49 titles published from Penguin Random House and its distribution clients included in this list. Browse our collection of Penguin Random House titles here. Browse the full list from The New York

Read more