Linear Order and Generative Theory

The term ‘word order studies’ designates an area of syntax which has become an increasingly central theme in linguistic research. Since, in at least a narrow sense, syntax is the study of how meaningful elements are put together to form sentences, a preoccupation with word order would seem inherent in any syntactic study. However, the focus implied by ‘word order studies’ is anything but trivial, going as it does to the heart of two vital areas of linguistic theory: language universals, and the form of linguistic models. The present collection of papers offers the reader an opportunity to examine some of the more recent ideas in this broad area, concentrating on some of the more controversial issues within the generative-transformational model.