Constituent order in German multiple questions: Normal order and (apparent) anti-superiority effects

Abstract

Anti-Superiority Effects 3 between constituent order in the so-called middle field and constituent order involving the prefield. 3 For the former, their data confirm the flip of the case bias. When one of the arguments occupies the prefield, accusative predominates both in SO sentences and OS sentences. However, the proportion of dative is still higher in OS sentences compared to SO sentences. Verbs in OS sentences are mainly unaccusative verbs, psychological predicates, and passivized ditransitive verbs, that is, the classes of verbs that are identified as OS-verbs in the literature.