Information packaging and word order dynamics in language contact

Word order is one of the linguistic resources speakers use to express specific meanings and present information. The literature considers information structure a major driving force behind word order and word order variation. The chapter argues that this is particularly true in language contact settings, enhancing the emergence of new word order patterns. We review studies that were conducted in the RUEG group, covering a) language-specific phenomena (referent introduction in English, V3 clauses and the placement of modal particles in German, and object-verb/verb-object patterns in Russian) and b) a cross-linguistically available construction -- left dislocation in English, German, and Russian.