Introduction:
In comparison to English, the German language does not seem to have a specific word order. The distinction between grammatical functions like subjects or objects is mainly due to case-inflection and prepositions. For that reason, word order in German sentences can vary to some extent without a fundamental change in meaning.
In the following analysis of German syntax, we are going to consider a possibility of finding the basic German word order. On the basis of the Government and Binding Theory, a widely accepted approach to syntactic analysis, we are going to argue that the structure of a subordinate clause underlies every German sentence. In doing so, we will find that the position of the verb will play a pivotal role.
With the help of a clear characterisation, it becomes easier to understand German syntax and to contrast it with other languages such as English. Although the two languages are closely related in historical terms, German sentence structure differs from English SVO (subject-verb-object) word order, which we will examine in chapter III. But before we can embark on the study of English and German syntax, we need to introduce a considerable amount of terminology and syntactic principles, which will form the necessary set of rules in our subsequent analysis.
Kurzer Überblick auf Deutsch:
Diese Arbeit sucht auf der Grundlage der Government and Binding Theory nach der Basisstruktur eines jeden deutschen Satzes. Während in der englischen Sprache die Subjekt-Verb-Objekt-Struktur vorliegt, und man mit Blick auf deutsche Hauptsätze Gleiches im Deutschen vermuten könnte, so bringt diese Arbeit eine Vielzahl von Argumenten, die eine Subjekt-Objekt-Verb-Struktur in der deutschen Sprache nahe legen. Ungläubig? Eine kurze Übersetzung von „to sing a song“ oder „to watch a movie“ verdeutlicht die unterschiedliche Wortstellung in den beiden Sprachen bereits ganz gut.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
I.1. Typical interrelations between constituents
I.1.1. Dominance
I.1.2. (Strict) c-command and m-command
I.1.3. Government
I.2. Movement transformations
I.2.1. Head-to-head movement
I.2.2. Wh-movement
II. Problems in the analysis of the position of the verb in German sentences
II.1. The verb-second constraint
II.2. Sentence formation by movement transformations
II.3. Arguments for leftward verb-movement in main clauses
III. Parametric variation between English and German
III.1. The head parameter
III.2. Verb-movement in English and German
IV. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines the syntactic structure of German in contrast to English, aiming to determine the underlying word order of German sentences. By applying the principles of the Government and Binding Theory, the study investigates whether German functions as an SOV (subject-object-verb) language and how movement transformations explain the observed surface variations in main clauses.
- Analysis of syntactic constituent relations such as dominance, c-command, and government.
- Examination of movement transformations, including head-to-head and wh-movement.
- Evaluation of the verb-second (V2) constraint and sentence formation processes in German.
- Comparison of parametric variations between English and German regarding the head parameter and verb mobility.
- Justification of the subordinate clause as the basic form for all German sentence structures.
Excerpt from the Book
II.3. Arguments for leftward verb-movement in main clauses
So far, we have been looking at the structure of sentences and how they can be derived from a subordinate clause. Now, we are going to support our claim that German is an SOV language by giving arguments for leftward verb-movement in main clauses.
Let us start with a very simple piece of evidence: In a subordinate clause like (3)a. below, the verbal head and its complement form a constituent: (3)a. …, dass der Mann [ das Buch las ]. Compare: (3)b. Es [ las ] der Mann [ das Buch ]. (3)c. [ Las ] der Mann [ das Buch ] ?
In the declarative main clause (3)b. and the yes-no question (3)c., which are linked to (3)a., the verbal head and its complement are separated. While das Buch is always placed behind der Mann, las takes different positions. This suggests a derivation of (3)b. and (3)c. from (3)a., in which the verb is moved to the left.
A second argument can be drawn from the fact that only the inflected verb appears in verb-second position whereas participial and infinitival verb forms (in italics) remain at the ends of sentences. Ungrammatical sentences are marked with a preceding asterisk: (3)d. Sie hat ihm geschrieben. (3)e. Sie will ihm geschrieben haben. (3)f. Sie vergaß ihm zu schreiben.
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: This chapter provides the theoretical foundation by introducing key syntactic concepts like dominance, c-command, and government, as well as general movement transformations.
II. Problems in the analysis of the position of the verb in German sentences: This section analyzes the V2 constraint and argues that German main clauses are derived from an underlying subordinate clause structure.
III. Parametric variation between English and German: The chapter compares the two languages, focusing on the head parameter and the differing mobility of main verbs versus auxiliaries.
IV. Conclusion: The study synthesizes the findings, confirming that German acts as an SOV language and that its sentence variety results from systematic leftward verb movement.
Keywords
German Syntax, English Syntax, SOV structure, Government and Binding Theory, Verb-second constraint, Movement transformations, Head-to-head movement, Wh-movement, Parametric variation, Head parameter, Inflectional morphology, Subordinate clause, Syntactic analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this linguistic research?
The research focuses on analyzing German word order and contrasting it with English SVO structure to identify the basic syntactic form of German sentences.
What are the central themes discussed in the paper?
Key themes include constituent relations, movement transformations within the Government and Binding framework, the verb-second (V2) constraint, and cross-linguistic parametric variations.
What is the main research hypothesis?
The author argues that German is fundamentally an SOV language and that every German sentence is essentially a complementiser phrase (CP) derived from an underlying subordinate clause.
Which scientific framework is utilized?
The analysis is conducted based on the Government and Binding Theory, a widely accepted approach in generative syntax.
What aspects are covered in the main body?
The main body details syntactic interrelations (dominance/c-command), movement operations, the mechanics of V2 constraints in German, and the differences in verb mobility between English and German due to morphological strength.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Relevant keywords include German Syntax, SOV structure, Government and Binding Theory, V2 constraint, movement transformations, and parametric variation.
How does the author explain the difference in verb movement between German and English?
The author attributes the immovability of lexical verbs in English to a "weak" inflectional paradigm, whereas the "strong" inflectional morphology in German enables verbs to move out of the verb phrase (VP).
Why is the "subordinate clause" considered the basic form in this study?
The subordinate clause is proposed as the underlying structure because it allows for a consistent explanation of verb positioning and particle placement without requiring complex rightward movement rules.
- Quote paper
- Barbara Groß-Langenhoff (Author), 2002, German Word Order Set Against English SVO Structure, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/30493
