Microvariation In Syntactic Doubling — An Introduction

Abstract

The syntax of natural language can be defined as the set of rules or principles according to which morphosyntactic features are combined into morphemes, morphemes into words, words into phrases, and phrases into sentences. From this point of view, syntactic doubling is an unexpected phenomenon. In syntactic doubling, a constituent (i.e., a morphosyntactic feature, morpheme, word, or phrase) is expressed two or more times. Modern syntactic research has primarily focused on idealized idiolects, often standard languages. Doubling in adjectival phrases is found in comparative and superlative constructions. Preposition doubling is found in many language varieties. In wh-pronoun doubling a wh-constituent is doubled by another wh-constituent. In some languages, focus particles such as just, only, already, even can double. One function of doubling that has been suggested now and then in the literature is reinforcement of a phonetically weak or weakened element. Keywords: modern syntactic research; morpheme; morphosyntactic features; syntactic doubling; wh-constituent