By Juan Uriagereka
In this note, I reflect on a reconstructive path for the syntax of Proto-Basque, building on the results of Gomez and Sainz (1995), working on a tradition started already by Astarloa two centuries ago, and of which Trask (1977) is an excellent example. The matter is interesting not just in itself, but also in that it may help us determine what procedures one can reliably use to figure out an extinct linguistic entity.
Section one lays out some foundations of syntactic change from three different, yet related perspectives, which I call ‘lenses’ on syntactic change: a theory of Universal Grammar presupposed by language learners (Principles); a theory of Core Variation that involves the learner in the task of fixing open dimensions (Parameters); and a putative theory of Sociological Drift that requires learners to actually learn something and affect one another in the process.
Section two relates those three ‘lenses’ in a model, showing how specific phenomena are best described in the interaction of these levels of linguistic reality.
Section three attempts to apply the three ‘lenses’ in question to the reconstruction of ancient word order in proto-Basque. A conclusions-and-questions section ensues.