Author: Vincent, Nigel

Date: Dec 09 1999

Title: Competition and correspondence in syntactic change: null
arguments in Latin and Romance

Email: nigel.vincent@man.ac.uk

Remarks: Paper presented at Diachronic Generative Syntax Conference (DIGS) 5,
York June 1, 1998. To appear in 'Diachronic Syntax: Models and Mechanisms',
eds A. Warner, S. Pintzuk, G. Tsoulas, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Abstract: This paper seeks to apply Joan Bresnan's account of pronouns
in the diachronic domain, and thus to provide a study of LFG?OT as applied
to syntactic change. The data are drawn from the history of the Romance
languages and concern a) the loss of null objects and their replacement
by clitics, and b) the development of inflected infinitives.