Optimality theory and minimalism: A possible convergence?

Más información sobre el libro

This issue of Linguistics in Potsdam features papers from the workshop on Descriptive and Empirical Adequacy in Linguistics held in Berlin from December 17-19, 2005. The workshop aimed to unite scholars from various frameworks, particularly the Minimalist Program and Optimality Theory, to discuss descriptive and empirical adequacy. A key focus was whether these frameworks are incompatible and competing or complementary in certain respects. Five of the seven papers stem from presentations at the workshop, while Vieri Samek-Lodovici’s contribution, though not presented there, synthesizes his insights from the discussions. The paper by Eva Engels and Sten Vikner addresses Scandinavian object shift, a topic of significant interest in both minimalist and optimality theoretic syntax. This serves as a practical example supporting a recurring claim in this volume: that minimalist and OT analyses, even when seemingly at odds, can constructively inform one another, enhancing our understanding of syntactic phenomena.