The Final-Over-Final Condition : A Syntactic Universal

An examination of the evidence for and the theoretical implications of a universal word order constraint, with data from a wide range of languages.

This book presents evidence for a universal word order constraint, the Final-over-Final Condition (FOFC), and discusses the theoretical implications of this phenomenon. FOFC is a syntactic condition that disallows structures where a head-initial phrase is contained in a head-final phrase in the same extended projection/domain. The authors argue that FOFC is a linguistic universal, not just a strong tendency, and not a constraint on processing. They discuss the effects of the universal in various domains, including the noun phrase, the adjective phrase, the verb phrase, and the clause. The book draws on data from a wide range of languages, including Hindi, Turkish, Basque, Finnish, Afrikaans, German, Hungarian, French, English, Italian, Romanian, Arabic, Hebrew, Mandarin, Pontic Greek, Bagirmi, Dholuo, and Thai.

FOFC, the authors argue, is important because it is the only known example of a word order asymmetry pertaining to the order of heads. As such, it has significant repercussions for theories connecting the narrow syntax to linear order.

Michelle Sheehan is Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University.

Theresa Biberauer is Principal Research Associate in the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at the University of Cambridge and Professor in the Department of General Linguistics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Ian Roberts is Professor of Linguistics and Professorial Fellow at Downing College at the University of Cambridge.

Anders Holmberg is Professor of Theoretical Linguistics at Newcastle University and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

David Pesetsky is Ferrari P. Ward Professor of Modern Languages and Linguistics and Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellow at MIT. He is the author of Zero Syntax: Experiencers and Cascades and Phrasal Movement and Its Kin, both published by the MIT Press. Pesetsky is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and was recently elected a Fellow of the Linguistic Society of America.

Anders Holmberg is Professor of Theoretical Linguistics at Newcastle University and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

Theresa Biberauer is Principal Research Associate in the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at the University of Cambridge and Professor in the Department of General Linguistics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Anders Holmberg is Professor of Theoretical Linguistics at Newcastle University and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

Ian Roberts is Professor of Linguistics and Professorial Fellow at Downing College at the University of Cambridge.

Michelle Sheehan is Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University.

Ian Roberts is Professor of Linguistics and Professorial Fellow at Downing College at the University of Cambridge.

Anders Holmberg is Professor of Theoretical Linguistics at Newcastle University and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

Michelle Sheehan is Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University.

Michelle Sheehan is Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University.

Michelle Sheehan is Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University.

Ian Roberts is Professor of Linguistics and Professorial Fellow at Downing College at the University of Cambridge.

Theresa Biberauer is Principal Research Associate in the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at the University of Cambridge and Professor in the Department of General Linguistics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Anders Holmberg is Professor of Theoretical Linguistics at Newcastle University and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

Ian Roberts is Professor of Linguistics and Professorial Fellow at Downing College at the University of Cambridge.