Supported by data from linguistic fieldwork conducted in the Faroe
Islands and Iceland, this book presents a pioneering approach to
syntactic analysis, 'Optimal Linking Grammar' (OLG), which brings
together two existing models, Linking Theory and Optimality Theory (OT).
OT, which assumes spoken language to be based on the highest-ranking
outcome from a number of competing underlying constraints, has been
central mainly to phonology; however its application to syntax has also
gained ground in recent years. OLG not only provides a robust account of
case-marking phenomena in Faroese and Icelandic; it also explains a wide
range of sentence types, including passives, ditransitives, object
shift, and word order variation. The book demonstrates how OLG can
resolve numerous issues in competing theories of formal syntax, and how
it might be successfully applied to other languages in future research.
It is essential reading for researchers and students in syntax,
morphology, sociolinguistics, and European languages.