Bury (2010)

• Bury, Dirk. 2010. 'Verb-second, particles, and flexible verb-initial orders', Mélanie Jouitteau (éd.), Lingua 120, 303-314.

 Abstract:
 "This paper focuses on the analysis of languages that allow both VSO and VOS orders. An analysis is proposed in the context of a flexible approach to syntax (cf. Neeleman & Weerman 1999) and compared with different alternative analyses of VSO-VOS alternations. The major argument is that a flexible approach allows for an analysis of VSO-VOS alternation that is appealing because of its simplicity and because of a number of predictions. The most important predictions are that languages with VSO-VOS alternation should have preverbal particles and that the subject should c-command the object in both VSO and VOS clauses. It is argued that three VSO-VOS languages (St'át'imcets (Lillooet Salish), Chamorro and Tongan) conform to these predictions."

Mots-clefs: VSO, VOS, verb-second, flexible word order, verb movement, re-projection linearisation, verb-initial languages, preverbal particles, Tongan, Chamorro, St'át'imcets (Lillooet Salish)