Collaborative Research on Syntactic Change: A Cross- Linguistic Approach

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This is continuing work on cross-linguistic generalizations and principles of historical syntactic change based on research in three Eurasian language families: Finno-Ugric, Indo-European, and Caucasian; and three Mesoamerican families: Mayan, Uto- Aztecan, and Mixe-Zoquean. Specific goals are 1) characterization of syntactic evolution (mechanisms of change, implementation of change, concomitant change in other parts of the grammar), 2) statement of formal constraints on syntactic change, 3) determination of what sort of syntactic changes are possible, 4) explanation of change, and 5) relation of the current work to various competing theories of grammar. This project has already generated nearly a dozen publications and an even larger number of public presentations, and the investigators are now at work on a major volume which will contain a comprehensive treatment of diachronic syntactic change. This work will meet a basic need in linguistics, where there is only one other treatment of the topic, published six years ago and of more limited scope. Both investigators are accorded profound respect from their colleagues, in particular for the clarity of their presentation of data and of their argumentation.