Theresa Biberauer Knihy

The book presents a robust defense of the parametric approach to linguistic variation, emphasizing its relevance within the Minimalist Program framework. It explores how this approach can effectively account for the diversity of languages and their structural differences. By integrating theoretical insights and empirical data, the author argues for the significance of parameters in understanding language variation, offering a fresh perspective on linguistic theory and its implications for language acquisition and evolution.

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

The still largely mysterious question of how hierarchical linguistic structures are converted into sequentially ordered linear strings is the challenging problem at the heart of this volume. The ten contributions approach it from a range of angles, considering both specific empirical challenges in spoken and signed languages, and broader architectural and typological questions. This volume will be of interest to advanced students and researchers with interests in the externalisation of linguistic structure, the architecture of the language faculty and linguistic typology.