Cambridge Handbook of Comparative Syntax

Bringing together a globally representative team of scholars, this Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of comparative syntax, the study of universal and variable properties of the structure of building blocks in natural language. Divided into four thematic parts, it covers the various theoretical and methodological approaches to syntactic variation; explores dependency relations and dependency marking; shows how the building blocks of syntax both vary and display universal properties across languages, and explores the interfaces between syntax and other aspects of language structure. It also includes examples from a typologically broad range of languages, as well as data from child language, sign language, language processing, and diachronic syntax, giving a clear picture of the ubiquity of cross-linguistic variation. It serves as a source of inspiration for future research, and forges a deeper understanding of the variant and invariant parts of language, making it essential reading for researchers and students in linguistics.

Sjef Barbiers is Professor of Dutch Linguistics at Leiden University. He was the leader of the Syntactic Atlas of the Dutch Dialects and European Dialect Syntax projects. He is currently the Scientific Director of the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics.

Norbert Corver is Professor of Dutch Linguistics at Utrecht University. He is co-editor of several books, including Semi-lexical Categories (with van Riemsdijk, 2001, De Gruyter Mouton) and Diagnosing Syntax (with Cheng, 2013, OUP) He is currently the scientific director of Utrecht University Institute for Language Sciences.

Maria Polinsky is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Maryland and Director of the National Heritage Research Center at UCLA. She has served on the editorial boards of multiple journals and advisory boards of several international centres. She is the author of multiple scholarly articles and several books, and editor of several handbooks.