The configurational structure of a nonconfigurational language

Julie Anne Legate | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

In this article, I present evidence for hierarchy and movement in Warlpiri, the proto-typical nonconfigurational language. Within the verb phrase, I identify both a symmetric and an asymmetric applicative construction, show that these are problematic for an LFG-style account that claims Warlpiri has a flat syntactic structure, and outline an account of the symmetric/asymmetric applicative distinction based on a hierarchical syntactic structure. Above the verb phrase, I establish syntactic hierarchy through ordering restrictions of adverbs, and ordering of topics, wh-phrases, and focused phrases in the left periphery. Finally, I present evidence that placement of phrases in the left periphery is accomplished through movement, with new data that show island and Weak Crossover effects.

Keywords: focus, topic, adverbs, nonconfigurationality, applicatives, Warlpiri, left periphery

Published online: 24 July 2003
https://doi.org/10.1075/livy.1.05leg

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2008. Morphological and Abstract Case. Linguistic Inquiry 39:1 ► pp. 55 ff.

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2008. Warlpiri and the theory of second position clitics. Natural Language & Linguistic Theory 26:1 ► pp. 3 ff.

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