Conclusions

Chapter 6 summarizes the main contributions of the book, as well as topics for future research. From an empirical point of view, the book has shown that four distinct macro-typologies of verb movement can be identified which can be predicted on the basis of independent morphological properties of the languages under investigation, thus casting new light on the long-debated issue of the interplay between ‘rich’ morphology and verb movement. From a methodological point of view, the volume has shown the importance of formulating analyses which are not language-specific but have a wider empirical basis. From a theoretical perspective, it has underlined the advantages of using a hybrid minimalist-cartographic framework. Questions for future research include whether it is possible to extend and adapt the present approach to other language families, such as Germanic, and investigating whether the proposed approach makes the correct predictions once diachronic variation too is taken into account.