Linguistic Inquiry

Linguistic Inquiry (linguistic-inquiry)

Journal positioning

Linguistic Inquiry, published by MIT Press, is the leading venue for theoretically driven work in generative grammar — principally syntax and its interfaces with morphology, semantics, and phonology. Its defining expectation is a formal analysis that advances generative theory: a precise proposal, motivated by sharp data, that makes the grammar more explanatory or revises a theoretical assumption with consequences beyond the immediate case. The journal also publishes short squibs posing a focused empirical or theoretical problem. A broad descriptive survey, a framework-agnostic overview, or a paper indifferent to generative architecture is a poor fit. This skill is a fit / venue-selection / re-framing aid. It does not replace the journal's current submission guidelines. Before submitting, re-check the live Linguistic Inquiry author instructions, and defer all reporting specifics to the official page.

When to trigger

• The author names Linguistic Inquiry for a generative-grammar article or a squib.
• An analysis must be sharpened into an explicit, falsifiable formal proposal with consequences for generative theory.
• The author is choosing between Linguistic Inquiry and a generalist or cross-linguistically oriented theoretical venue.
• The author needs Linguistic Inquiry's formal-rigor bar and desk-reject heuristics.

Scope & topic fit

• Generative syntax: argument structure, movement, locality, binding, case and agreement, ellipsis, and the architecture of the grammar.
• Syntax–semantics, syntax–morphology, and syntax–phonology interfaces analyzed in generative terms.
• Formal morphology and phonology where the proposal bears on grammatical architecture.
• Squibs: a compact, self-contained problem or counterexample that sharpens or challenges an existing analysis.
• Theory-comparison work where a new proposal is shown to be more explanatory than established alternatives.

Method & evidence bar

• The contribution is an explicit, formally precise proposal whose theoretical consequences are stated; the central claim and its stakes for the grammar are clear early.
• Empirical data (judgments, paradigms, well-chosen examples) are marshaled to motivate and test the proposal; linguistics is partly empirical, so the data must genuinely discriminate between analyses — defer reporting specifics to official guidance.
• The formal analysis is consistent, derivations are shown, and predictions are falsifiable and checked against the data.
• Alternative analyses are considered and shown to be less adequate or less general.
• Cross-linguistic evidence is brought in where it bears on the generality of the proposal.
• Numbered examples carry morpheme-by-morpheme interlinear (Leipzig-style) glosses and translations; judgment diacritics are used consistently.

Structure & house style

• Full-length article building a formal argument step by step; squibs are short and tightly focused — re-check current length limits and article types on the live guide.
• Citation follows the journal's current style with a reference list; theoretical notation and tree/derivation conventions are consistent and defined.
• Double-blind review: anonymize the manuscript (self-citations and acknowledgements) per current policy.
• Numbered examples with aligned interlinear glosses, translations, and sources, in the journal's example format; IPA where phonetic detail matters.
• Trees, feature matrices, and derivations are typeset to the journal's specifications and remain legible in print.