Collaborative Research on Syntactic Change: A Cross- Linguistic Approach

这是基于对三个欧亚语系：芬诺-乌戈尔语、印欧语系和高加索语系以及三个中美洲语系：玛雅语系、乌托-阿兹特克语语系和混合佐琴语系的研究，继续进行跨语言概括和历史句法变化原则的工作。具体目标是1)描述句法演变(变化的机制、变化的实施、语法其他部分的伴随变化)，2)陈述句法变化的形式约束，3)确定哪种句法变化是可能的，4)解释变化，5)当前工作与各种相互竞争的语法理论的关系。该项目已经出版了近12份出版物，并发表了更多的公开陈述，调查人员目前正在编写一本主要卷，其中将包含对历时句法变化的全面处理。这项工作将满足语言学的一个基本需要，在语言学中，对这个主题只有一种其他的处理方法，发表于六年前，范围更有限。这两名调查员都得到了同事的高度尊重，特别是因为他们的数据陈述和论点都很清楚。

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.