CREOLES AND UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR

This paper is an attempt to characterize some aspects of UG. Data from some creoles are used to question some tacit assumptions in theoretical linguistics regarding parameters, universal versus typological constructs, and markedness with regard to parametric settings. I focus on the constructs COMP and VP (as opposed to PredP) to propose that their status in UG is typological, rather than universal. It is argued that the parameters of UG may be assumed to be multilayered, so that subordination (as opposed to serialization) may be a subparameter of a higher-order parameter called complex-sentence formation and VP a subparameter or first-level setting of a higher-order parameter called predication. Constraints associated with the different options (such as subjacency, associated with COMP) must be typological rather than universal. As for markedness, it is argued that it is more plausible for its values to be determined outside UG, based on factors which are language- or situation-specific. At least, there is no compelling evidence to date for determining in UG which parametric settings are more, or less, marked than others. © 1990, Walter de Gruyter