Autolexical Syntax

Autolexical Syntax
Author: Jerrold M. Sadock
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 270
Release: 1991
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780226733456

In Autolexical Syntax, Jerrold M. Sadock argues for a radical departure from the derivational model of grammar that has prevailed in linguistics for thirty years. He offers an alternative theory in which the various components of grammar—in particular syntax, semantics, and morphology—are viewed as fully autonomous descriptive devices for various parallel dimensions of linguistic representation. The lexicon in this theory forges the connection between autonomous representations in that a typical lexeme plays a role in all three of the major components of the grammar. Sadock's principal innovation is the postulation of a uniform set of interface conditions that require the several orthogonal representations of a single natural language expression to match up in certain ways. Through a detailed application of his theory to the twin morphosyntactic problems of cliticization and incorporation, Sadock shows that very straightforward accounts are made possible by the nonderivational model. He demonstrates the empirical success of these accounts by examining more than two dozen morphosyntactic problems in almost as many languages. Autolexical Syntax will be of interest to those in the fields of theoretical grammar, particularly concerned with the problems of morphology and syntax, as well as philosophers of language, logicians, lexicographers, psychologists of language, and computer scientists.

Pragmatics and Autolexical Grammar

Pragmatics and Autolexical Grammar
Author: Etsuyo Yuasa
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Total Pages: 373
Release: 2011
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027255598

This book presents papers in honor of Jerry Sadock's rich legacy in pragmatics and Autolexical Grammar. Highlights of the pragmatics section include Larry Horn on almost, barely, and assertoric inertia; William Lycan on Sadock's resolution of the Performadox with truth1 and truth2; and Jay Atlas on Moore's Paradox and the truth value of propositions of belief. Highlights of the Autolexical Grammar section include Fritz Newmeyer's comparison of the minimalist, autolexical, and transformational treatments of English nominals; Barbara Abott's extension of Sadock's PRO-less syntax to a PRO-less semantics of the infinitival complements of know how; and Haj Ross's syntactic connections between semantically related English pseudoclefts. Encompassing a range of languages (Aleut, Bangla, Greenlandic, Japanese, and a home-based sign language) and extending into psycholinguistics (language acquisition, sentence processing, and autism) this volume will interest a range of readers, from theoretical linguists and philosophers of language to applied linguists and exotic language specialists.

Autolexical Theory

Autolexical Theory
Author: Eric Schiller
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2011-06-24
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3110889374

TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS is a series of books that open new perspectives in our understanding of language. The series publishes state-of-the-art work on core areas of linguistics across theoretical frameworks as well as studies that provide new insights by building bridges to neighbouring fields such as neuroscience and cognitive science. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS considers itself a forum for cutting-edge research based on solid empirical data on language in its various manifestations, including sign languages. It regards linguistic variation in its synchronic and diachronic dimensions as well as in its social contexts as important sources of insight for a better understanding of the design of linguistic systems and the ecology and evolution of language. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS publishes monographs and outstanding dissertations as well as edited volumes, which provide the opportunity to address controversial topics from different empirical and theoretical viewpoints. High quality standards are ensured through anonymous reviewing.

Clitics

Clitics
Author: Joel A. Nevis
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Total Pages: 314
Release: 1994-10-20
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 902727665X

This bibliography provides an alphabetical listing of over 1500 articles, books, and dissertations that treat in some way the topic of clitics and related matters, e.g. affixes, words, word order, movement, sandhi, etc. The beginning point for the bibliographic entries is 1892, taking Jacob Wackernagel's classic work as the point of departure, and the entries cover the subsequent 100-year period. Each entury is accompanied by a series of descriptors which give an indication of the content of the item. Nearly one-third of the book is a detailed analytic index, based on the descriptors, which can aid in topical searches for relevant material. Prefatory matter includes an essay “What is a Clitic?” by Arnold M. Zwicky, a brief consideration of Wackernagel's scholarly career by Brian D. Joseph, and information on the format and use of the book itself.

The Modular Architecture of Grammar

The Modular Architecture of Grammar
Author: Jerrold M. Sadock
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 283
Release: 2012-01-12
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1107011949

A model of grammar using several independent, simultaneous modules, which allows each module to be simpler than the current theory.

Kriyol Syntax

Kriyol Syntax
Author: Alain Kihm
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Total Pages: 324
Release: 1994-07-14
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027276676

This book describes the Portuguese-based Creole which is widely spoken as a first language in Guinea-Bissau. The study focuses on one variety, 'central Kriyol', and its main aim is to present a complete description of the grammar of the language. The theoretical framework for the syntactic analysis is purposely eclectic but relies primarily on Generalized Phrase Structure Grammar, and ample attention is paid to the cognitive or semantic dimension in the explanation of linguistic facts. After a short introduction on the history and phonology of the language and the organization of the study, there are chapters dealing with the simple sentence, Tense and Aspect, the noun phrase, the complex sentence, topicalization/focalization/questions, and Middles/Passives/Causatives. The final chapter discusses Kriyol texts, especially comic-books, from which a considerable number of examples used in the study are taken.

The Routledge Handbook of Syntax

The Routledge Handbook of Syntax
Author: Andrew Carnie
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 937
Release: 2014-04-29
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1317751035

The study of syntax over the last half century has seen a remarkable expansion of the boundaries of human knowledge about the structure of natural language. The Routledge Handbook of Syntax presents a comprehensive survey of the major theoretical and empirical advances in the dynamically evolving field of syntax from a variety of perspectives, both within the dominant generative paradigm and between syntacticians working within generative grammar and those working in functionalist and related approaches. The handbook covers key issues within the field that include: • core areas of syntactic empirical investigation, • contemporary approaches to syntactic theory, • interfaces of syntax with other components of the human language system, • experimental and computational approaches to syntax. Bringing together renowned linguistic scientists and cutting-edge scholars from across the discipline and providing a balanced yet comprehensive overview of the field, the Routledge Handbook of Syntax is essential reading for researchers and postgraduate students working in syntactic theory.

Feature Distribution in Swedish Noun Phrases

Feature Distribution in Swedish Noun Phrases
Author: Kersti Borjars
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 308
Release: 1999-01-26
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0631208712

This book examines in some detail two issues associated with Swedish noun phrases. Firstly, it considers the issue of the headedness of these phrases in the light of a general discussion of criteria for head status. Secondly, the status of the definite ending is discussed from a typological perspective. Based on the findings of this examination of the data, a theoretical account of Swedish noun phrases is provided in terms of Head-driven Phrase Structure Grammar.

Polymorphous Linguistics

Polymorphous Linguistics
Author: Salikoko Mufwene
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 590
Release: 2005-05-13
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780262262712

James McCawley (1938-1999) was one of the most significant linguists of the latter half of the twentieth century. His legacy to a generation of linguists encompasses not only his work in phonology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and the philosophy of language but also his emphasis on bridging research in linguistics with that in other disciplines, from anthropology and psychology to physics and biology. This book, written by his former students—all now scholars in their own right—pays tribute to McCawley by pursuing questions about language that engaged him during his career. The variety of perspectives in these essays reflects McCawley's eclecticism as well his belief that what is important in scholarly work is not the analytic framework used but the insights reached. The book considers topics in phonology; syntax, with several essays on Indic languages (in which McCawley had a special interest) as well as one on African-American English; tense, aspect, and mood; semantics and pragmatics, with essays in these areas grouped together to reflect the intertwining of McCawley's work on these subjects; knowledge of language; and the treatment of language, with its implicit colonial biases, in the 11th edition of Encyclopedia Britannica.