An Introduction to Syntactic Theory

This textbook provides a comprehensive, balanced introduction to syntactic theory. The author shows how the diversity of syntactic theories, which at first seems confusing, can be approached by examining how each deals with conflicting data. Th

Edith A. Moravcsik is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Preface

ix

Symbols and Abbreviations

xiii

Chapter 1 Parameters of Syntactic Theories

1

(35)

1 Preliminaries

1

(7)

2 How can syntactic theories differ from each other?

8

(5)

2.1 Necessary similarities

8

(3)

2.2 Actual differences

11

(2)

3 Why are there different syntactic theories?

13

(19)

3.1 Imperatives in English: the problem

13

(2)

3.2 Coping with contradictions

15

(3)

3.3 Imperatives in English: solutions

18

(4)

3.4 Wh-questions in English: problems and solutions

22

(3)

3.5 A typology of conflicts

25

(7)

4 Conclusions

32

(1)

Notes

32

(2)

Exercises

34

(2)

Chapter 2 Alternative Analyses of Syntactic Structures

36

(39)

1 Preliminaries

36

(2)

2 Discontinuous order

38

(17)

2.1 What is discontinuous order?

38

(6)

2.2 Conflict between orderings

44

(1)

2.3 Conflict between selection and ordering

45

(9)

2.4 Summary

54

(1)

3 Long-distance agreement

55

(16)

3.1 Hungarian

55

(6)

3.2 Tsez

61

(5)

3.3 The larger picture

66

(5)

4 Conclusions

71

(2)

Notes

73

(1)

Exercises

74

(1)

Chapter 3 Alternative Analyses of Symbolic Correspondence Relations: Co-ordination

75

(32)

1 Preliminaries

75

(3)

2 Compositionality in co-ordinate constructions

78

(3)

3 Non-compositionality in co-ordinate constructions and its alternative analyses

81

(23)

3.1 Conjuncts that are not constituents

81

(12)

3.2 Co-conjuncts that are not of the same syntactic type

93

(11)

4 Conclusions

104

(1)

Notes

104

(1)

Exercises

105

(2)

Chapter 4 Alternative Analyses of Symbolic Correspondence Relations: Grammatical Functions

107

(40)

1 Preliminaries

107

(4)

2 Semantic participant roles and grammatical functions

111

(4)

2.1 Active and passive sentences

111

(2)

2.2 Double-object and object-dative sentences

113

(2)

3 Analysing Patient-Recipient sentences by unifying the two forms

115

(14)

3.1 Syntactic characteristics of Patients and Recipients

115

(5)

3.2 A Relational Grammar account

120

(2)

3.3 Transformational Generative Grammar accounts

122

(7)

3.4 A Lexicase account

129

(1)

4 Analysing Patient-Recipient sentences by splitting their meaning

129

(7)

4.1 Semantic characteristics of Patients and Recipients

129

(2)

4.2 A Functional Grammar account

131

(2)

4.3 A Construction Grammar account

133

(1)

4.4 A Cognitive Grammar account

134

(2)

5 A cross-linguistic outlook

136

(6)

5.1 Direct-object and primary-object languages

136

(3)

5.2 Accusative and ergative languages

139

(3)

6 Conclusions

142

(2)

Notes

144

(1)

Exercises

145

(2)

Chapter 5 Alternative Analyses of Syntactic Variation and Change

147

(32)

1 Preliminaries

147

(1)

2 Alternative analyses of word order variation across languages

148

(13)

2.1 The problem

148

(4)

2.2 Heads and dependents

152

(3)

2.3 Branching and non-branching constituents

155

(2)

2.4 Mother-node-constructing and non-mother-node-constructing constituents

157

(3)

2.5 Summary

160

(1)

3 Alternative analyses of relative clause acquisition in second languages

161

(14)

3.1 The problem

161

(2)

3.2 External transfer

163

(5)

3.3 Internal transfer

168

(1)

3.4 Simplification

169

(3)

3.5 Language acquisition and historical change

172

(2)

3.6 Summary

174

(1)

4 Conclusions

175

(1)

Notes

176

(1)

Exercises

176

(3)

Chapter 6 Four Contemporary Approaches to Syntax

179

(40)

1 Preliminaries

179

(4)

2 Transformational grammars 18o

2.1 Basic assumptions 18o

2.2 The passive construction in English

183

(7)

2.3 Summary

190

(1)

3 Dependency grammars

190

(12)

3.1 Basic assumptions

190

(4)

3.2 Categorial identity across phrases

194

(3)

3.3 Categorial identity within phrases

197

(2)

3.4 X-bar theory

199

(3)

3.5 Summary

202

(1)

4 Construction grammars

202

(9)

4.1 Basic assumptions

202

(1)

4.2 All constructions have meanings

202

(7)

4.3 All constructions have unique meanings

209

(2)

4.4 Summary

211

(1)

5 Optimality Theory

211

(4)

5.1 Basic assumptions

211

(1)

5.2 The case marking of direct objects

212

(3)

5.3 Summary

215

(1)

6 Conclusions

215

(1)

Notes

216

(1)

Exercises

217

(2)

Chapter 7 Where do Conflicts Come From?

219

(6)

1 Two sources of conflict

219

(1)

2 Conflicts in language

219

(4)

2.1 Meaning and form

219

(1)

2.2 Speaker and addressee

220

(3)

3 Conflicts in metalanguage

223

(1)

4 Conclusion

224

(1)

Appendix: Parallel Data from Six Languages

225

(12)

English

225

(1)

Latin

226

(2)

Russian

228

(2)

Hungarian

230

(1)

Japanese

231

(4)

Chantyal

235

(2)

Glossary

237

(11)

References

248

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An Introduction to Syntactic Theory

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials