Deriving object-verb order in late Middle English

Abstract

Late Middle English is a VO language in which surface OV order can nevertheless be found. This has been taken to show that the language has both OV and VO as possible underlying orders. However, there are various types of data that this hypothesis cannot account for. It is therefore argued in this article that late Middle English only had VO order underlyingly, and that all surface OV orders are derived by means of leftward movement of the object across the verb, in a manner fully compatible with the Minimalist Program. In surface OV, the object moves overtly to the functional projection AgrOP for feature-checking; LF movement is also possible (yielding surface VO), since the two derivations are equally economical. Pronominal objects can move to a higher clitic position. This analysis is shown to account for a wide range of data.