# The optimal placement of the head in the noun phrase. The case of demonstrative, numeral, adjective and noun

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.10311 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.10311/

## Key facts

- Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 17 of its 72 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 15 Feb 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 17 of 17)

- [The optimality of syntactic dependency distances](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.15342/) (2020)
- [Anti dependency distance minimization in short sequences. A graph theoretic approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1906.05765/) (2019)
- [Optimal coding and the origins of Zipfian laws](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1906.01545/) (2019)
- [The placement of the head that maximizes predictability. An information theoretic approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1705.09932/) (2017)
- [Minimum projective linearizations of trees in linear time](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.03277/) (2021)
- [The placement of the head that minimizes online memory: a complex systems approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1309.1939/) (2013)
- [The scarcity of crossing dependencies: a direct outcome of a specific constraint?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1601.03210/) (2016)
- [Kauffman's adjacent possible in word order evolution](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.05582/) (2015)
- [Memory limitations are hidden in grammar](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1908.06629/) (2019)
- [Compression as a universal principle of animal behavior](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1303.6175/) (2013)
- [Linguistic laws in biology](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.07387/) (2023)
- [Swap distance minimization in SOV languages. Cognitive and mathematical foundations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.04219/) (2023)
- [Hubiness, length, crossings and their relationships in dependency trees](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1304.4086/) (2013)
- [Direct and indirect evidence of compression of word lengths. Zipf's law of abbreviation revisited](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.10128/) (2023)
- [A stronger null hypothesis for crossing dependencies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1410.5485/) (2014)
- [The distribution of syntactic dependency distances](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.14620/) (2022)
- [Reply to the commentary "Be careful when assuming the obvious", by P. Alday](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1412.7186/) (2014)

## Built on by (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- [Swap distance minimization beyond entropy minimization in word order variation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.14192/) (2024)
- [Predictability maximization and the origins of word order harmony](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.16570/) (2024)
- [Who is the root in a syntactic dependency structure?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.15188/) (2025)
- [Ease of dependency distance minimization in star-like structures](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.28034/) (2026)
- [Factors Influencing the Emergence of Dependency Length Minimization in Neural Agent Simulations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.06025/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The word order of a sentence is shaped by multiple principles. The principle of syntactic dependency distance minimization is in conflict with the principle of surprisal minimization (or predictability maximization) in single head syntactic dependency structures: while the former predicts that the head should be placed at the center of the linear arrangement, the latter predicts that the head should be placed at one of the ends (either first or last). A critical question is when surprisal minimization (or predictability maximization) should surpass syntactic dependency distance minimization. In the context of single head structures, it has been predicted that this is more likely to happen when two conditions are met, i.e. (a) fewer words are involved and (b) words are shorter. Here we test the prediction on the noun phrase when it is composed of a demonstrative, a numeral, an adjective and a noun. We find that, across preferred orders in languages, the noun tends to be placed at one of the ends, confirming the theoretical prediction. We also show evidence of anti locality effects: syntactic dependency distances in preferred orders are longer than expected by chance.