Syntactic operations, specifically those involving so-called ‘movement’, are subject to various constraints. Some of the most well-known constraints are island and intervention effects, COMP-trace effects and superiority constraints, which reduce the domain of application of movement rules. Whereas these constraints traditionally have been analyzed as belonging to syntax proper, there is now a growing body of evidence showing that they are associated with increased processing difficulty. This has led to the hypothesis that these constraints can (at least partially) be reduced to processing factors, and are therefore outside the realm of grammar. We will investigate what the relation is between syntax and processing, and whether a sharp division between the two can be made, focusing on subject/object asymmetries and island effects.
Students should have a basic understanding of (generative) syntax and should have some familiarity with psycholinguistic research. The last sessions will be devoted to discussing possible research projects, including some practical advice on how to set up simple syntactic experiments.