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I got my PhD degree at Stockholm University in 1987. Since then I've held positions at Uppsala and Umeå in Sweden, Tromsø in Norway, and Durham in the UK. In 2004 I became Professor of Theoretical Linguistics at Newcastle University. In January 2021 I retired, becoming Emeritus Professor. Also in 2021 I became Fellow of the British Academy. My early work was mainly on verb second, object shift, and various issues to do with word order and inflections in the Scandinavian languages. A bit later I took up work on Finnish. I have written about word order, topic-focus syntax, null subjects  and elliptical answers in Finnish, among other things. Being from Finland I'm bilingual in Swedish and Finnish. I have worked on various other languages, too. My main interest is comparative syntax. The overarching aim is to find out more about the nature of human language, particularly syntax, by comparing languages to study what they have in common and how they vary. Since 2002 I have collaborated closely with Ian Roberts and colleagues at the University of Cambridge, which has resulted in a number of co-authored works on syntactic cross-linguistic variation in a minimalist framework, including two books. Another recent work is a book on the syntax of answers to yes-no questions in a cross-linguistic, comparative perspective. I have supervised and co-supervised 35 students to a PhD degree. As Emeritus Professor I continue my research on a variety of issues, some together with previous students of mine, some with other colleagues. I'm also editor of Journal of Uralic Linguistics (together with Balazs Suranyi), a new journal incorporating the online journal Finno-Ugric Languages and Linguistics that I've been editor for since it started in 2012.

03/12

Research Interests

Syntactic theory; comparative syntax; Scandinavian languages; Finnish.

Other Expertise

Descriptive linguistics/linguistic fieldwork; language acquisition; language change.

Current Work

Fenno-Swedish syntax

Verb second in Estonian

Word syntax, compounds

Discourse particles

The syntax of questions and answers

Publications by Prof. JA Holmberg

Newcastle University ePrint repository for Prof. JA Holmberg.

Research Roles

Editor of Finno-Ugric Languages and Linguistics (FULL) http://full.btk.ppke.hu/index.php/FULL/index

Funding

• European Research Council Advanced Grant 'Rethinking Comparative Syntax' (PI Ian Roberts, U. of Cambridge) (2013-2018).
  

• Leverhulme Fellowship (2011-2013). Project: On the syntax of yes and no.

• Project funded by the AHRC, 2007-2010: 'Structure and linearization in disharmonic word orders'. Joint project with Cambridge, with Ian Roberts as co-investigator, Theresa Biberauer and Michelle Sheehan as Researchers. 

• Leverhulme Visiting Professorship for Abdelkader Fassi Fehri to spend 10 months in Newcastle in 2007-2008.
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• Project funded by the AHRC, 2002-2007: 'Null subjects and the structure of parametric theory.' Joint project with Newcastle and Cambridge.

• Wang Q, Holmberg A. Reduplication and the structure of nouns in Xining Chinese. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 2021, 39, 923-958.
• Holmberg A. On the bottleneck hypothesis of verb second in Swedish. In: Woods R; WolfeS, ed. Rethinking verb second. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020, pp.40-60.
• Holmberg A, Sheehan M, van der Wal J. Movement from the Double Object Construction Is Not Fully Symmetrical. Linguistic Inquiry 2019, 50(4), 677-722.
• Alshamari M, Holmberg A. Topic particles, agreement and movement in an Arabic dialect. In: 42nd GLOW (Generative Linguistics in the Old World) Conference. 2019, Oslo.
• Holmberg A, Kurki K. We...with Anna: Inclusory coordination in Finnish and Fenno-Swedish. In: Christensen KR; Jørgensen H; Wood JL, ed. The sign of the V. papers in honour of Sten Vikner. Aarhus: Aarhus University Press, 2019, pp.243-266.
• Holmberg A, Wu M-J, ed. How to say no in English and Taiwanese. Somerville MA USA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project, 2018.
• Haddican W, Holmberg A. Object symmetry effects in Germanic: evidence for the role of case. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 2018, 37(1), 91-122.
• Biberauer T, Holmberg A, Roberts I, Sheehan M. Empirical evidence for the Final-over-Final Condition. In: Sheehan,M; Biberauer,T; Roberts,I; Holmberg,A, ed. The Final-over-Final Condition. A syntactic universal. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press, 2017.
• Holmberg A. Linguistic Typology. In: Ian Roberts, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Universal Grammar. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2017, pp.355-376.
• Holmberg A. The Final-over-Final Condition and Linearization in Generative Grammar. In: Sheehan M; Biberauer T; Roberts I; Holmberg A, ed. The Final-over-Final Condition: A Syntactic Universal. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press, 2017, pp.43-78.
• Holmberg A. The Final-over-Final Condition in a mixed word order language. In: Sheehan,M;Biberauer,T;Roberts,I;Holmberg,A, ed. The Final-over-Final Condition. A syntactic universal. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press, 2017.
• Holmberg A, Phimsawat O. Truly minimal pronouns. 2017. Available at: https://revistas.ufrj.br/index.php/diadorim/issue/view/892/showToc.
• Holmberg A. Universal Grammar. In: Ledgeway,A; Roberts,I, ed. The Cambridge Handbook of Historical Syntax. Cambridge, UK: Cambrdige University Press, 2017, pp.275-300.
• Holmberg A. The Syntax of Yes and No. Oxford University Press, 2016.
• Holmberg A, Phimsawat O. Generic pronouns and phi-features: evidence from Thai. Newcastle and Northumbria Working Papers in Linguistics (Second Asian and European Linguistics Conference Proceedings) 2015, 21.1.
• Biberauer T, Holmberg A, Roberts I. A syntactic universal and its consequences. Linguistic Inquiry 2014, 45(2), 169-225.
• Haddican W, Holmberg A. Four kinds of object symmetry. In: Complex Visibles Out There. Proceedings from the Olomouc Linguistics Colloquium 2014. 2014, Olomouc, Czech Republic: Palacký University Olomouc.
• Haddican W, Holmberg A, Tanaka H, Tsoulas G. Interrogative slifting in English. Lingua 2014, 138, 86-106.
• Holmberg A, Roberts I. Parameters and the three factors of language design. In: Picallo, M.C, ed. Linguistic variation in the minimalist framework. Oxford University Press, 2014, pp.61-81.
• Buchstaller I, Holmberg A, Almoaily M, ed. Pidgins and Creoles beyond Africa-Europe Encounters. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins Publishing Co, 2014.
• Holmberg A. The syntax of the Finnish question particle. In: Svenonius, P, ed. Functional Structure from Top to Toe. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2014.
• Holmberg A. The syntax of answers to polar questions in English and Swedish. Lingua 2013, 128, 31-50.
• Holmberg A, Roberts I. The syntax-morphology relation. Lingua 2013, 130, 111-131.
• Buchstaller I, Corrigan KP, Holmberg A, Honeybone P, Maguire W. T-to-R and the Northern Subject Rule: questionnaire-based spatial, social and structural linguistics . English Language and Linguistics 2013, 17(1), 85-128.
• Holmberg A. Verb Second. In: Kiss, T., Alexiadou, A, ed. Syntax – an International Handbook of Contemporary Syntactic Research. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter Verlag, 2013. In Press.
• Haddican W, Holmberg A. Object movement symmetries in British English dialects: Experimental evidence for a mixed case/locality approach. Journal of Comparative Germanic Linguistics 2012, 15(3), 189-212.
• Holmberg A, Sheehan ML. Control Into Finite Clauses in Partial Null-Subject Languages. In: Biberauer T; Holmberg A; Roberts I; Sheehan M, ed. Parametric Variation: Null Subjects in Minimalist Theory. Cambridge: Cambidge University Press, 2010, pp.125-152.
• Holmberg A. How to refer to yourself when talking to yourself. Newcastle upon Tyne: Centre for Research in Linguistics and Language Sciences (CRiLLS), Newcastle Universty, 2010. Newcastle Working Papers in Linguistics v.16.
• Holmberg A. Null subject parameters. In: Biberauer T; Holmberg A; Roberts I; Sheehan M, ed. Parametric variation : null subjects in minimalist theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010, pp.88-124.
• Holmberg A. Parameters in minimalist theory: The case of Scandinavian. Theoretical Linguistics 2010, 36(1), 1-48.
• Holmberg A. The null generic subject pronoun in Finnish: a case of incorporation in T. In: Biberauer T; Holmberg A; Roberts I; Sheehan M, ed. Parametric variation : null subjects in minimalist theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010, pp.200-230.
• Holmberg A, Nayudu A, Sheehan M. Three partial null-subject languages: a comparison of Brazilian Portuguese, Finnish, and Marathi. Studia Linguistica 2009, 63(1), 59-97.
• Holmberg A. V-movement in affirmative replies and copy deletion. Theoretical Linguistics 2009, 35(2-3), 269-276.
• Sigurdsson HA, Holmberg A. Icelandic dative intervention: person and number are separate probes. In: d'Alessandro, R; Hrafnbjargarson, GH; Fischer, S, ed. Agreement Restrictions. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 2008, pp.251-280.
• Holmberg A, Nikanne U. Subject doubling in Finnish: the role of deficient pronouns. In: Barbiers, S; Koeneman, O; Lekakou, M, ed. Microvariations in Syntactic Doubling. Bingley: Emerald, 2008, pp.325-349.
• Holmberg A, Odden D. The noun phrase in Hawrami. In: S. Karimi, S.V. Samiian, and D. Stilo, ed. Aspects of Iranian Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008, pp.129-152.
• Holmberg A. Null subjects and polarity focus. Studia Linguistica 2007, 61(3), 212-236.
• Biberauer T, Holmberg A, Roberts I. Structure and linearization in disharmonic word orders. In: Proceedings of the 26th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics. 2007, University of California, Berkeley: Cascadilla Proceedings Project.
• Holmberg A. Is there a little pro? Evidence from finnish. Linguistic Inquiry 2005, 36(4), 533-564.
• Holmberg A. Linearization in two ways. Theoretical Linguistics 2005, 31(1-2), 147-157.
• Roberts I, Holmberg A. On the role of parameters in universal grammar: a reply to Newmeyer. In: Broekhuis, H; Corver, N; Huybregts, R; Kleinhenz, U; Koster, J, ed. Organizing Grammar: Linguistic Studies in Honor of Henk Van Riemsdijk. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 2005, pp.538-553.
• Holmberg A. Stylistic Fronting. In: Everaert, M; van Riemsdijk, H; Goedemans, R; Hollebrandse, B, ed. The Blackwell Companion to Syntax. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005, pp.530-563.
• Holmberg A, Platzack C. The Scandinavian Languages. In: Cinque, G; Kayne, RS, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Syntax. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, pp.420-458.
• Holmberg A, Hróarsdóttir T. Agreement and movement in Icelandic raising constructions. Lingua 2004, 113(10), 997-1019.
• Holmberg A, Odden D. The Izafe and NP Structure in Hawrami. Durham Working Papers in Linguistics 2004, 10, 77-93.
• Holmberg A. Topic drop or VP focus. In: Delsing, L-O; Falk, C; Josefsson, G; Sigurðsson, HA, ed. Grammar in Focus. Festschrift for Christer Platzack 18 November 2003. Lund: Department of Scandinavian Languages, Lund University, 2003, pp.159-166.
• Holmberg A. Yes/no questions and the relation between tense and polarity in English. In: Pica, P, ed. Linguistic Variation Yearbook. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2003, pp.43-68.
• Holmberg A, Nikanne U. Expletives, Subjects, and Topics in Finnish. In: Svenonius, P, ed. Subjects, Expletives, and the EPP. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002, pp.71-105.
• Holmberg A. Prepositions and PPs in Zina Kotoko. In: Schmidt, BK; Odden, D; Holmberg, A, ed. Some Aspects of the Grammar of Zina Kotoko. Muenchen: Lincom Europa, 2002, pp.162-174.