Defining Non-Canonicity: An Integrated Approach to Modelling Syntactic Variation

When there are two or more syntactic alternatives, why is one chosen over the other? This article proposes a new framework exploring this question, the MACRO-MICRO-FRAMEWORK OF (NON )CANONICAL SYNTAX. It conceptualizes decision-making in syntactic variation as a complex circular process that encompasses Macro-Factors, Micro-Factors, the selection of a canonical or non canonical syntactic variant, and short- and long-term effects (priming and frequency effects). Macro- and Micro-Factors in the framework include, among others, information structure, pragmatic factors, register, style, and syntactic factors. A case study on minus-determiners (e.g. It’s ∅ good book) in American English illustrates how the framework can be applied to a specific data set. It shows that factors of the immediate interactional and sequential context make this clearly non-canonical construction the most felicitous option in a specific communicative situation, which in turn could affect judgements as to the construction's perceived (non )canonicity.