http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/226411 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:59:24 GMT 2013-06-19T21:59:24Z http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/227574 Title: Against inertia Authors: Walkden, George Abstract: In this paper I challenge the Inertial Theory of language change put forward by Longobardi (2001), which claims that syntactic change does not arise unless caused and that any such change must originate as an ‘interface phenomenon’. It is shown that these two claims and the resulting contention that ‘syntax, by itself, is diachronically completely inert’ (Longobardi 2001: 278), if construed as a substantive, falsifiable theory of diachrony, make predictions that are too strong, and that they cannot be reduced (as seems desirable) to properties of language acquisition. I also express doubt as to the utility and necessity of a methodological/heuristic principle of Inertia, broadly following Lass’s (1980) view of causality. Description: Revised version added 12 March 2012 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/227574 2010-11-30T00:00:00Z http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/226419 Title: Verb position queries for CorpusSearch 2.0 Authors: Walkden, George Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/226419 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z