Middle Object Scrambling

Abstract

This paper discusses syntactic and semantic aspects of direct object scrambling in Ukranian. Given the complex nature of scrambling, the investigation is narrowed to only one of its types: the changes SVO --> SOV, defined as Middle Object Scrambling (MOS). This strategy affords a detailed examination of this phenomenon at a micro-level. MOS is scrutinized with regard to its syntactic aspect (e.g., position of a moved element) and semantic properties (e.g., possible interpretations od a direct object). The semantic features of definiteness, referentiality, and partitivitiy are particularly emphasized, as previous studies have claimed they play an important role in the process. This research demonstrates that the most relevant feature in Ukranian MOS is specificity in the sense of partitivity/presuppositionality. The implication of this is that Slavic data provide further support for the universality of interpretational properties of the vP edge, in line with Chomsky 2001.