Scandinavian Object Shift and Optimality Theory

Sten Vikner is Associate Professor in English linguistics, University of Aarhus, Denmark. His previous publications include Verb Movement and Expletive Subjects in the Germanic Languages and Studies in Comparative Germanic Syntax (co-edited), and he is the Editor of the Nordic Journal of Linguistics. He researches Germanic comparative syntax, with a particular interest in how and why word order varies between languages.   Eva Engels is Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Aesthetics and Communication at Aarhus University, Denmark. Her previous publications include Optimizing Adverb Positions as well as various book chapters and journal articles. Her research focuses on the comparative syntax of the Germanic languages and on how Optimality Theory applies to syntax.

• PART I: OBJECT SHIFT 1. Introduction 2. Object Shift 3. Optimality Theory 4. An Optimality Theory Analysis of Object Shift 5. Conclusion PART II: OBJECT SHIFT IN REMNANT VP-TOPICALISATION CONSTRUCTIONS 6. Introduction 7. V°-Topicalisation vs. Remnant VP-topicalisation 8. Object Shift and Remnant VP-topicalisation in Optimality Theory 9. Conclusion