Syntax beyond the Canon: Cutting-edge Studies of Non-Canonical Syntax in English
Final Report Abstract
The scientific network was dedicated to investigating the structural versatility of the English language. Specifically, the participating researchers addressed the question of how, when, and why structural deviations from a recognized standard occur in language use, leading to the choice of alternative constructions. For example, instead of the canonical English sentence Tim likes Anna, one could also use one of the following alternatives: It is Anna who Tim likes (cleft); Tim likes her, Anna (right dislocation). Depending on which of these variants is used, different parts of the sentence can be foregrounded or backgrounded. Besides this function of ‘information structuring’, there are other reasons why speakers might prefer an alternative form, such as their dialectal background. The distinctive feature of the network is its successful combination of multiple theoretical approaches to researching non-canonical structures. Through the collaboration of researchers with various foci within the thematic framework, the network comprehensively examined non-canonical phenomena through a series of meetings with different focal themes. The first meeting in 2019 in Dresden primarily dealt with the theoretical framework and the project-integrating model building. The second meeting in 2020 in Gießen had a methodological focus. Due to pandemic-related travel restrictions, four online meetings focused, among other things, on data analysis. The subsequent network meeting in 2022 in Vechta dealt with the functions of non-canonical constructions, while the meeting in spring 2023 in Oxford primarily discussed the initial manuscript drafts for the final publication of the subprojects and focused on different forms of non-canonical syntax. During the summer 2023 meeting in Amsterdam, possible follow-up projects were discussed. The final meeting in 2024 in Bayreuth served to evaluate the network and continued discussions on the future development of the project idea. The individual projects of the network members not only dealt with the use of non-canonical syntactic structures in contemporary English applying a variety of methodologies but also considered historical data as well as various native, second, and foreign language contexts. The work on the projects greatly benefited from the exchange among network members, but especially from stimulating discussions with renowned international guests and their project-specific input. The results of the individual projects were published in July 2025 in a Gold Standard open-access collected volume titled Non-Canonical English Syntax: Concepts, Methods, and Approaches by Cambridge University Press (editors: Leuckert & Pham).
Publications
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Defining Non-Canonicity: An Integrated Approach to Modelling Syntactic Variation. Center for Open Science.
Pham, Teresa; Leuckert, Sven; Dreschler, Gea; Götz, Sandra; Günther, Christine; Kircili, Kathrin; Lange, Claudia; Neumaier, Theresa; Mycock, Louise & Rüdiger, Sofia
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Non-Canonical English Syntax. Cambridge University Press.
Leuckert, Sven & Pham, Teresa
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Defining Non-Canonicity. Anglistik, 36(3), 177-209.
Pham, T.; Leuckert, S.; Dreschler, G.; Götz, S.; Günther, C.; Kircili, K.; Lange, C.; Neumaier, T.; Mycock, L. & Rüdiger, S.
