Dutch is head-initial

Abstract

It is argued in this article that Dutch is a head initial language. The SVO order of Dutch main clauses is derived from an ‘underlying ’ SOV order, visible in embedded clauses (Koster 1975). However, this SOV order is again derived from an underlying SVO order in the Dutch VP, still visible when the verb’s complement is not a noun phrase but a clause. If the verb takes a Small Clause complement, the Small Clause predicate moves leftward to a position in the functional domain, and the subject of the Small Clause, like a complement noun phrase, moves to the specifier position of AgrOP. The analysis supports the hypothesis that movement in the world’s languages is invariably leftward (Kayne 1992). In an inspiring guest lecture at the GLOW Colloquium in Lisbon, 1992, Richard Kayne argued that movement of syntactic constituents is invariably leftward (Kayne 1992). In combination with Chomsky’s Minimalist Program, in which movement invariably targets heads and specifiers in the functional domain (Chomsky 1992), Kayne’s observation leads to the conclusion that functional heads and specifiers of functional projections are always on the left side in a syntactic tree structure. Hence, if Kayne and Chomsky are correct, structure building operations in all languages follow the same, universal blueprint (illustrated in 1). (1) XP specifier X’