Complementary methods in Universal Grammar: A reply to Coopmans

Abstract

This paper offers a reply to Coopmans' 1984 critique of Hawkins 1979, 1980, 1982. Hawkins had attempted, inter alia, to make typological word order universals relevant to concerns of generative grammar. Coopmans denies this relevance. His critique raises fundamental issues about the nature of language universals and their explanation, and about research methodology. Some of these issues are taken up in this reply. It is argued that Coopmans' dismissal of the typological approach is neither well-founded nor very helpful in the current state of the art. The different methodologies have complementary strengths, and can be of considerable mutual benefit.

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