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Towards a Parameter Hierarchy for Alignment

conference contribution
posted on 2023-07-26, 13:49 authored by Michelle Sheehan
This paper proposes a parameter hierarchy to derive all and only the various clausal alignments attested in natural languages (accusative, split-S, morphologically ergative, tripartite, syntactically ergative high and low absolutive). These alignments are derived from five dependent parameters which, it is argued, also serve to derive a number of otherwise mysterious universal implications, such as the ban on split-S syntactically ergative languages. Rather than being prespecified in Universal Grammar, it is proposed that the parameter hierarchy in question is structured by the pressure for convergence: ordering the relevant parameters in any other way makes possible non-convergent derivations. As such, the parameter hierarchy provides not only a characterisation of which alignments are attested in natural language but also the beginnings of an explanation as to why we find these alignments and no others.

History

Page range

399-408

Publisher

Cascadilla Press

Place of publication

Somerville, MA

ISBN

978-1-57473-462

Conference proceeding

Proceedings of the 31st West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics

Name of event

31st West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics

Location

Tempe, AZ

Event start date

2013-02-07

Event finish date

2013-02-09

Editors

Robert E. Santana-LaBarge

Language

  • other

Legacy posted date

2016-07-21

Legacy creation date

2016-07-19

Legacy Faculty/School/Department

ARCHIVED Faculty of Arts, Law & Social Sciences (until September 2018)

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