UCL Working Papers in Linguistics 12 (2000)

Particles, V2 and the ungrammaticality of verb-initial structures

DIRK BURY



In V2 languages subject-verb inversion is followed by obligatory topicalisation, in VSO languages it is not. I propose that verb movement in V2 languages is self-attachment, while in VSO languages it is adjunction to a VP-external head. This analysis makes predictions on typology, language acquisition and change. Evidence comes mainly from Welsh, Breton, and Early Swedish.


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