Synopses & Reviews
Syntactic Theory: A Formal Introduction is unlike any other introductory textbook on the market. Targeting students with strong formal/mathematical skills, but assuming no particular previous background, this book focuses on the development of precisely formulated grammars whose empirical predictions can be directly tested. The book begins with the inadequacy of context-free phrase structure grammars, motivating the introduction of feature structures, types and type constraints as ways of expressing linguistic generalizations. Step by step, students are led to discover a grammar that covers the core areas of English syntax that have been central to syntactic theory in the last quarter century, including: complementation, control, 'raising constructions', passives, the auxiliary system, and the analysis of long distance dependency constructions. Special attention is given to the treatment of dialect variation, especially with respect to African American Vernacular English, which has been of considerable interest with regard to the educational practice of American school systems.
Synopsis
Focuses on the development of precisely formulated grammars whose empirical predictions can be directly tested.
Synopsis
Syntactic Theory: A Formal Introduction is unlike any other introductory textbook on the market; it marks a return to 'generative grammar' in its original sense. This book focuses on the development of precisely formulated grammars whose empirical predictions can be directly tested. There is considerable emphasis on prediction and evaluation of grammatical hypotheses, as well as on integrating syntactic hypotheses with matters of semantic analysis. Problem solving is also emphasized; the extensive problem sets draw from a variety of languages other than English. Special attention is paid to the nature of lexical entries and the organization of the lexicon in terms of type hierarchies and constraint inheritance. The theoretical perspective of the book is presented in the context of current models of language processing, which provide motivation for a constraint-based, lexicalist grammatical architecture, whose value has already been demonstrated in computer language processing applications.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 447-458) and indexes.
Table of Contents
Preface
1. Introduction
1.1 Two Conceptions of Grammar
1.2 An Extended Example
1.3 Remarks on the History of the Study of Grammar
1.4 Why Study Syntax?
1.5 Conclusion
1.6 Further Reading
2. Some Simple Theories of Grammar
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Two Simplistic Syntactic Theories
2.3 Context-free Phrase Structure Grammar
2.4 Applying Context-Free Grammar
2.5 Trees Revisited
2.6 Worksection on Phrase Structure Grammar
2.7 Heads
2.8 Subcategorization
2.9 Transitivity and Agreement
2.10 Conclusion
2.11 Further Reading
3. Analyzing Features of Grammatical Categories
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Feature Structures
3.3 The Linguistic Application of Feature Structures
3.4 The Head Feature Principle
3.5 Trees and Phrase Structure
3.6 Conclusion
3.7 Further Reading
4. Complex Feature Values
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Complements
4.3 The COMPS Feature
4.4 Specifiers
4.5 The Valence Principle
4.6 Subject-Verb Agreement Revisited
4.7 Determiner-Noun Agreement
4.8 Worksection on Case Marking
4.9 Summary
4.10 Further Reading
5. Semantics
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Semantics and Pragmatics
5.3 Linguistic Meaning
5.4 How Semantics Fits In
5.5 Modification
5.6 The Semantic Principles
5.7 Coordination Revisited
5.8 Summary
5.9 Further Reading
6. How the Grammar Works
6.1 A Factorization of Grammatical Information
6.2 A Detailed Example
6.3 Appendix: Well-Formed Structures
7. Binding Theory
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Binding Theory of Chapter 1 Revisited
7.3 A Feature-Based Formulation of Binding Theory
7.4 Imperatives
7.5 The Argument Realization Principle Revisited
7.6 Further Reading
8. The Structure of the Lexicon
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Lexical Types
8.3 Lexical Rules
8.4 Derivational Rules
8.5 Conclusion
8.6 Further Reading
9. Realistic Grammar
9.1 Introduction
9.2 The Grammar So Far
9.3 Constraint-Based Lexicalism
9.4 Incremental Processing
9.5 A Performance-Plausible Competence Grammar
9.6 Universal Grammar: A Mental Organ?
9.7 Conclusion
9.8 Further Readirig
10. The Passive Construction
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Basic Data
10.3 The Verb 'Be' in Passive Sentences
10.4 An Example
10.5 Further Reading
11. Nominal Types: Dummies and Idioms
11.1 Introduction
11.2 'Be' Revisited
11.3 The Existential 'There'
11.4 Extraposition
11.5 Idioms
11.6 Conclusion
11.7 Further Reading
12. Infinitival Complements
12.1 Introduction
12.2 The Infinitival To
12.3 The Verb 'Continue'
12.4 The Verb 'Try'
12.5 Subject Raising and Subject Control
12.6 Object Raising and Object Control
12.7 Further Reading
13. Auxiliary Verbs
13.1 Iritroduetion
13.2 Basic Facts about Auxiliaries
13.3 The NICE Properties
13.4 Auxiliary 'Do'
13.5 Analyzing the NICE Properties
13.6 Conclusion
13.7 Further Reading
14. Variation in the English Auxiliary System
14.1 Introduction
14.2 Auxiliary Behavior in the Main Verb 'Have'
14.3 African American Vernacular English
14.4 Conclusion
14.5 Further Reading
15. Long-Distance Dependencies
15.1 Introduction
15.2 Some Data
15.3 Formulating the Problem
15.4 The Feature GAP
15.5 Subject Gaps
15.6 The Coordinate Structure Constraint
15.7 Conclusion
15.8 Further Reading
16. From Rule to Sign
16.1 Taking Stock
16.2 Words and Signs
16.3 The Organization of the Lexicon
16.4 Phrasal Signs
16.5 Conclusion
Appendix A: Summary of the Grammar
Appendix B: Generative Grammar
Glossary
References
Subject Index
Name Index