West-Germanic languages, such as German, English, Dutch, Frisian, and Low German, exhibit word order variation within all sorts of verb clusters. Considering 2-verb clusters, for example, in German, the auxiliary precedes the participle in subordinate clauses, as in “Ich denke, dass er getanzt hat”; in English, the auxiliary comes before the participle, as in “I think that he has danced”; and in Dutch both “'Ik denk dat hij gedanst heeft” and “Ik denk dat hij heeft gedanst” are grammatical, allowing flexibility in word order. Word order variability is also found within 3- and 4-verb clusters, which we also will address in this seminar. We will discuss a wide range of factors associated with word order variation in verb clusters across different West-Germanic languages, and psycholinguistic methods on how to test the acceptability of different verb clusters in different speaker populations. During the seminar, you will learn how two set up your own questionnaires and psycholinguistic experiments (Likert scale tasks) to investigate the acceptability of verb cluster variation in (a) West-Germanic language(s). Furthermore, you will learn how to statistically analyse data with the programming language R using linear mixed-effects models. As a final assignment, you will carry out your own research project which we will develop throughout the course of the semester and that will be written up in the form of a paper. There is also the possibility of engaging in ongoing research projects.

The language of instruction in this seminar is English. Depending on the participants, we may also use Dutch and/or German.

Please note that you have to read and prepare three scientific papers (English, 124 pages in total!) in the first three weeks. Allow enough time for this.