Interpreting embedded verb second. Causal modifiers in German

The paper discusses V2 order in German adverbial clauses expressing causation. As an embedded root phenomenon, V2 order in adverbial clauses is associated with an assertive force potential of the clause. Furthermore, V2 adverbials can express a wider range of semantic interpretations than their verb-final counterparts. They can be interpreted as central adverbials modifying the event structure, or as peripheral adverbials, modifying the discourse structure. In this paper, I will derive the possible interpretations of V2 adverbials from three factors: an invariable semantics of the causal connective weil (roughly ‘because’), the syntactic attachment site of the adverbial clause and the contribution of pragmatic principles.