VOS in Modern Greek : Syntax revisited

In the present paper we will be discussing the syntax of verb-initial orders in Modern Greek and more particularly the "problematic" VOS order. The existing analyses— building on a very limited range of data—fail to account for all the attested properties. It will be argued that VOS can not be due to mere object movement (object scrambling) nor to generation of the subject to the right (either as a specifier or as an adjunct); rather we will show that VOS is the outcome of a flexible strategy which allows the object to pied-pipe alongside the verb to T. Finally, we will argue that the operation shows characteristics of A-bar movement and that the object ends up in a position from which it cannot c-command the subject