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Dependency locality as an explanatory principle for word order
Name
futrell-levy-gibson-2020-dependency-aam.pdf
Description
Accepted version
Size
631.98 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
11f21652372c6870cc2f80e24c7fa804
Author(s)
Futrell, Richard
Levy, Roger P
Gibson, Edward
Date Issued
2020
Journal
Language
Publisher
Project Muse
Citation
Futrell, Richard, Levy, Roger P and Gibson, Edward. 2020. "Dependency locality as an explanatory principle for word order." Language, 96 (2).
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
© 2020 Printed with the permission of Richard Futrell, Roger P. Levy, & Edward Gibson. This work focuses on explaining both grammatical universals of word order and quantitative word-order preferences in usage by means of a simple efficiency principle: dependency locality. In its simplest form, dependency locality holds that words linked in a syntactic dependency (any head–dependent relationship) should be close in linear order. We give large-scale corpus evidence that dependency locality predicts word order in both grammar and usage, beyond what would be expected from independently motivated principles, and demonstrate a means for dissociating grammar and usage in corpus studies. Finally, we discuss previously undocumented variation in dependency length and how it correlates with other linguistic features such as head direction, pro-viding a rich set of explananda for future linguistic theories.*.
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike
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DOI of Published Version
10.1353/LAN.2020.0024
