There is no OBJECT SHIFT, just a GENERAL SHIFT, and independent constraining principles
There is a propensity in many languages for elements that represent backgrounded and/or given information to show up in the middle field, a tendency that I term SHIFT. In this paper I argue that Object Shift and the raising of certain adverbials to the middle field in Swedish is due to this general propensity. SHIFT applies across the board, but language-specific principles, such as Constituent Or