In this squib, I present new data from adjective orders in Ojibwe (Algonquian) that are problematic for Cinque’s (2010) phrasal movement analysis of adjective ordering.1Cinque (2010) claims that adjectives are merged in a universal hierarchy and that phrasal movement (specifically, movement of phrases that contain the NP) displaces adjectives. These movements give rise to the crosslinguistically attested adjective orders. By comparison, a base-generation account of adjective order variation would have to stipulate each attested and unattested order. I demonstrate that Cinque’s analysis cannot account for the crosslinguistic adjective-ordering facts. In particular, Ojibwe exhibits a previously undescribed and unattested adjective order that cannot be derived by Cinque’s analysis. While I do not propose a solution to this problem, I will suggest that a base-generation account can no longer be ruled out.
This squib is organized as follows. In section 1, I outline Cinque’s theory of adjective orders and...