The project examens cross linguistic variation, both microvariation and macrovariation. It adopts the cartographic approach to syntax, whose aim it is to decompose the sentence in its primitive syntactic components. The project has three main lines of enquiry. A first line deals with the syntax of the left periphery of the clause, i.e. the constituents to the left of the subject position. The second line examines the demarcation of the left periphery ('cp') and the core sentential domain ('tp') and raises the question of the status of the subject position in relation to CP and TP. The third strand examines to what extent the internal structure of the nominal projection can be assimilated to that of the clause.