Nanosyntax and the Lexicalization Algorithm

Abstract This book offers the most recent state of the art to the framework Nanosyntax, a late-insertion theory that has at its core the idea that the elementary building blocks of syntactic trees are single features. These features are assembled by means of syntax and lexicalized by means of phrasal lexicalization and the Lexicalization Algorithm (LA). The volume consists of case studies that use the LA to probe the underlying ingredients of the functional sequence and to deepen our understanding of the structural difference between prefixes and suffixes. In addition, the volume also dives into the ins and outs of the LA, presenting its most recent innovations, to resolve some thorny data patterns related to (apparent) nonlocal allomorphy, neutralization, ABA patterns, and theme vowels. Finally, new and exciting avenues are explored in a couple of chapters on Phonologically Conditioned Allomorphy, selection, and multilingual settings.