"Heavy NP shift" is a particular manifestation of shifting where a "heavy" noun phrase (NP) appears in a position to the right of its canonical position under certain circumstances. Although the term is coined according to the tradition of transformational grammar, which describes the process to be done by movement of the NP, the term is also used by linguists who do not believe in transformational grammar. Heaviness is determined by the grammatical complexity. Ross (1967) may have been the first to look at heavy NP shift in some detail. See the article on shifting for examples and discussion.
Famous quotes containing the words heavy and/or shift:
“The Danaan children laugh, in cradles of wrought gold,
And clap their hands together, and half close their eyes,
For they will ride the North when the ger-eagle flies,
With heavy whitening wings, and a heart fallen cold....”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“Ghosts, we hope, may be always with us—that is, never too far out of the reach of fancy. On the whole, it would seem they adapt themselves well, perhaps better than we do, to changing world conditions—they enlarge their domain, shift their hold on our nerves, and, dispossessed of one habitat, set up house in another. The universal battiness of our century looks like providing them with a propitious climate ...”
—Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973)