Hidden variability in sharing constructions (C05)

• Subject Area: General and Comparative Linguistics, Experimental Linguistics, Typology, Non-European Languages
• Term: since 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 317633480

This project investigates the limits of variability in the formation of filler-gap dependencies by studying sharing constructions (SCs), in which a single filler relates to several gaps (as in across-the-board and parasitic gap constructions). We will apply a battery of novel as well as refined diagnostics using quantitative experimental methods and direct elicitations to evaluate the hypothesis that SCs arise from variable underlying sources despite their surface similarities (= hidden variability). To this end, we will compare the morphosyntax of (i) different SCs within a language, and (ii) the same SC across different languages. The results will allow us to improve existing formal models of how the syntax generates sharing, and to better understand how the mechanisms involved in filler-gap-dependency formation are constrained.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1287: Limits of Variability in Language: Cognitive, Grammatical, and Social Aspects
• Applicant Institution: Universität Potsdam
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Doreen Georgi