Effects of givenness and constraints on free word order

Clark & Clark (1977) and Clark & Haviland (1977) have proposed that constituent order is influenced by a principle requiring that given information precede new information in a sentence (GfN-principle) (see also Hornig and Weskott, this volume). The importance of this principle for linearization in the world’s languages has been established in quite a number of studies, see, e.g., Siewierska (1993). Given elements come to precede new material by various mechanisms. Some languages use a simple reordering rule (scrambling) for having linear order conform with the GfN-principle, while others take recourse to passivization (A-movement in the sense of Chomsky 1981), apparently because of a general lack of constituent order flexibility (see Mathesius 1975:156ff., Tomlin 1995:538, Prat Sala 1997:99). Other givenness effects come about by the choice of different constructions that are not syntactically related to each other. For example, the GfN-principle affects the choice among the double object and the NP PP construction for English verbs with two objects (Collins 1995). Following Oehrle (1976), many have argued for a purely lexical relation between the two constructional options of give and similar verbs. Likewise, givenness influences the order of structural adjuncts in German, but since adjuncts do not scramble (Haider & Rosengren 2003), given before new order is base-generated in this domain.

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