Towards an Account of Extraposition in HPSG

Abstract

This paper investigates the syntax of extraposition in the HPSG framework. We present English and German data (partly taken from corpora), and provide an analysis using lexical rules and a nonlocal dependency. The condition for binding this dependency is formulated relative to the antecedent of the extraposed phrase, which entails that no fixed site for extraposition exists. Our analysis accounts for the interaction of extraposition with fronting and coordination, and predicts constraints on multiple extraposition.