Morphosyntax of Verb Movement discusses the phenomenon of Dutch, present in many Germanic languages, that the finite verb is fronted in main clauses but not in embedded clauses. The theoretical framework adopted is the so-called Minimalist Program of Chomsky (1995), the latest developmental stage of generative grammar. Taking issue with previous analyses, the author argues that phrase structure in Dutch is uniformly head initial, and that the finite verb moves to different positions in subject initial main clauses and in inversion constructions.
The book contains lucid and detailed discussion of many theoretical issues in connection with the Minimalist Program, such as the relation between syntax and morphology, the nature of syntactic licensing, and the structure of the functional domain. At the same time, it offers a survey of the properties of Dutch syntax, a discussion of previous analyses of Dutch syntax and a wealth of material from dialects of Dutch and other Germanic languages.

Klappentext

Morphosyntax of Verb Movement discusses the phenomenon of Dutch, present in many Germanic languages, that the finite verb is fronted in main clauses but not in embedded clauses. The theoretical framework adopted is the so-called Minimalist Program of Chomsky (1995), the latest developmental stage of generative grammar. Taking issue with previous analyses, the author argues that phrase structure in Dutch is uniformly head initial, and that the finite verb moves to different positions in subject initial main clauses and in inversion constructions. The book contains lucid and detailed discussion of many theoretical issues in connection with the Minimalist Program, such as the relation between syntax and morphology, the nature of syntactic licensing, and the structure of the functional domain. At the same time, it offers a survey of the properties of Dutch syntax, a discussion of previous analyses of Dutch syntax and a wealth of material from dialects of Dutch and other Germanic languages.

Inhalt
I Introduction.- 1. Where Languages Differ.- 2. The Minimalist Program (Chomsky 1993).- II Introduction to the Syntax of Dutch.- 1. Phenomena of Dutch Syntax.- 2. Previous Treatments within Generative Grammar.- 3. Problems of the Traditional Analysis.- 4. A Minimalist Approach to Dutch Syntax.- III Dutch as an Svo Language.- 1. Typological Arguments.- 2. Scrambling in Dutch.- 3. Predicate Raising in Dutch.- 4. Conclusion.- IV The Position of the Functional Heads in Dutch.- 1. Determiner, Complementizer, Infinitival Marker.- 2. Clitics in Dutch.- 3. Complementizer Agreement and Double Agreement.- 4. Conclusion.- V Feature Movement and the Relation Between Syntax and Morphology.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Words.- 3. Phrase Structure, Movement, and Feature Checking.- 4. Conclusion.- VI The Verb Movement Asymmetry in Dutch.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Embedded Clauses.- 3. Subject Initial Main Clauses.- 4. V-to-C Movement.- 5. Some Further Issues.- 6. Conclusion.- VII Inversion in Dutch.- 1. Topicalization and Wh-Movement.- 2. Complementizer Agreement and Double Agreement.- 3. Clitic Placement.- 4. Conclusion.- VIII Conclusion.- References.- Indices.