Multiple source explanations in constructional change: The case of V1 word order in Welsh

The characteristic VSO word order of Modern Welsh developed in part as a result of the increase in use in the Early Modern Welsh period of a specific verb-initial construction, Absolute V1, where a synthetic finite verb comes in absolute-initial position in a positive declarative main clause. Although Absolute V1 is attested throughout the history of Welsh, there is major dia­chronic and synchronic variation in its use. This paper argues that the increase in use of Absolute V1 in prose texts from the 16th century has multiple sources, representing, on the one hand, the continuation of an existing construction (i.e. Absolute V1 in earlier Welsh) and, on the other hand, an innovation where Absolute V1 also derives from other constructions through the loss of a preverbal particle. It is further argued that a multiple source approach can help explain certain patterns in the variation in use of Absolute V1 in Early Modern Welsh.