Radical Construction Grammar Syntactic Theory in Typological Perspective

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ISBN: 9780198299547 | 0198299540
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 12/27/2001

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This book is based on the results of research in language typology, and motivated by the need for a theory to explain them. Croft proposes intimate links between syntactic and semantic structures, and argues that the basic elements of any language are not syntactic but rather syntactic-semantic "Gestalts." He puts forward a new approach to syntactic representation and a new model of how language and languages work.

Preface

xiii

Acknowledgments

xvi

List of Figures

xix

List of Tables

xxii

List of Abbreviations

xxiv

List of Symbols

xxviii

Part One From Syntactic Categories to Semantic Maps

Syntactic Argumentation and Radical Construction Grammar

(60)

Introduction

(6)

Methodology and Theory in Syntax

(5)

The basic question of syntactic analysis

(2)

Distributional analysis: the basic method of syntactic argumentation

(3)

Constructions and Construction Grammar

(15)

Arguments for construction grammar

(4)

Syntactic and semantic structure: the anatomy of a construction

(7)

The organization of constructions in a construction grammar

(4)

Distributional Analysis and Cross-linguistic Universals

(5)

Problems in using distributional analysis across languages

(1)

Cross-linguistic methodological opportunism and its problems

(2)

An alternative view: there is no universal inventory of atomic primitives

(2)

Distributional Analysis and the Representation of Particular Language Grammars

(13)

Problems in using distributional analysis in particular languages

(7)

Language-internal methodological opportunism and its problems

(4)

An alternative view: there are no atomic grammatical primitives

(2)

Radical Construction Grammar: Frequently Asked Questions

(14)

How can you have a syntactic theory without atomic primitive units?

(1)

Can't these facts be captured by a feature-based approach to categories, or by a categorial grammar approach?

(1)

Doesn't RCG create a hopeless proliferation of categories? How do you label them all?

(2)

If categories are defined relative to constructions, how do you identify constructions?

(2)

How do you capture generalizations for categories across constructions in RCG?

(4)

How can a child acquire a grammar without atomic primitive categories?

(1)

How does RCG relate to other versions of construction grammar?

(1)

How can I use RCG for grammatical description if all categories are construction-specific and constructions are language-specific?

(1)

If categories are construction-specific and constructions are language-specific, does this mean that there is no Universal Grammar, and no language universals?

(1)

Conclusion and Prospects

(2)

Parts of Speech

(45)

Introduction

(2)

The Alleged Absence of Parts of Speech in Particular Languages

(10)

A ``lumping'' typological theory of parts of speech

(2)

A critique of ``lumping'' theories of parts of speech

(3)

Semantic shift and zero coding

(5)

From Lumping to Splitting

(9)

Distributional analysis and the analysis of parts of speech

(3)

Splitting: Where does one stop?

(3)

Further problems with distributional analysis and parts of speech

(3)

Conceptual Space, Semantic Maps and a Universal Theory of Parts of Speech

(21)

Separating the universal from the language-particular

(2)

The universal-typological theory of parts of speech

(6)

Conceptual space and semantic maps

(6)

Typological markedness and the topography of conceptual space

(4)

Functional prototypes and the Grammatical Category Structure Hypothesis

102

(2)

The universal-typological and Cognitive Grammar theories of parts of speech

104

(1)

Integrating the Language-particular and the Universal in the Representation of Grammatical Knowledge

105

(3)

Syntactic Categories and Semantic Relativity

108

(24)

The Relationship between Form and Meaning

108

(2)

Hidden Assumptions in Arguments for Semantic Relativity

110

(16)

Contrast

111

(1)

One-to-one form-meaning mapping

112

(7)

Redundancy in expression

119

(5)

The Semantic Uncertainty Principle

124

(2)

The Dynamic, Fluctuating Character of Linguistic ``Relativity''

126

(3)

Semantic Universals, Relativity, and Radical Construction Grammar

129

(3)

Clausal Syntactic Roles (``Grammatical Relations'')

132

(43)

Introduction

132

(2)

Language Universals without Universal Syntactic Roles

134

(13)

``Accusative'' vs. ``ergative'' languages

134

(4)

Hierarchies of A/S/P role categories

138

(4)

Hierarchies of coding object roles

142

(4)

Conclusion

146

(1)

Language Universals without Global Syntactic Roles

147

(14)

Arguments for and against global (and universal) syntactic roles

148

(4)

The Subject Construction Hierarchy

152

(3)

Diachronic reality of the Subject Construction Hierarchy

155

(4)

A conceptual space representation for the Subject Construction Hierarchy

159

(2)

Some Further Complications

161

(9)

Split intransitivity and the subject prototype

162

(3)

Ergativity and quantification

165

(2)

Split ergativity

167

(3)

Conclusion

170

(5)

Part Two From Syntactic Relations to Symbolic Relations

Dependency, Constituency, and Linear Order

175

(28)

Introduction

175

(4)

The internal structure of constructions

175

(1)

Coded dependencies and collocational dependencies

176

(3)

Collocational Dependencies as Semantic Relations

179

(6)

Constituency and Linear Order

185

(12)

Arguments for constituency

185

(5)

From constituency to formal grouping

190

(6)

Linear order and formal grouping

196

(1)

Overtly Coded Dependencies

197

(4)

Typological classification of overtly coded dependencies

197

(2)

Mismatches among overtly coded dependencies, contiguity, and linear order

199

(2)

Conclusion

201

(2)

A Radical Approach to Syntactic Relations

203

(38)

The Logical Argument against Syntactic Relations

203

(3)

Syntactic Relations vs. Symbolic Relations

206

(14)

Unlikely semantic dependencies

209

(4)

Proposition vs. Subject-Predicate construal

213

(3)

Clause collapsing

216

(4)

Syntactic Relations vs. Syntactic Roles

220

(13)

Relative order of three or more elements

221

(2)

Second position

223

(1)

Nested relational coded dependencies

224

(2)

Absence of one of the units in a syntactic relation

226

(6)

Optionality or absence of an overtly coded dependency

232

(1)

Comprehending Constructions without Syntactic Relations

233

(8)

The identification of semantic roles via morphosyntactic devices

233

(3)

The identification of Constructions

236

(1)

The scaffolding metaphor and the semi-iconicity of syntax

237

(4)

Heads, Arguments, and Adjuncts

241

(42)

Introduction

241

(1)

Criteria for Headhood

242

(4)

Functor criteria

243

(1)

Base criteria

244

(1)

Head criteria

245

(1)

Deconstructing Heads

246

(8)

Agreement

246

(1)

Subcategorization, government, and construction grammar

247

(3)

Obligatoriness and distributional equivalence

250

(2)

The syntactic category determinant and the morphosyntactic locus

252

(2)

A Semantic Definition of ``Head''

254

(6)

Heads and profile equivalents

254

(3)

Heads and PIBUs

257

(3)

Grammaticalization and the PIBU Profile Equivalent

260

(8)

Auxiliaries and articles

260

(1)

Numerals, quantifiers, and classifiers

261

(2)

Adpositions

263

(2)

Complementizers

265

(1)

Copulas

266

(1)

PIBUs in other syntactic processes

267

(1)

``Heads'' and Roots in Morphology

268

(4)

The Argument-Adjunct Distinction

272

(11)

Criteria for the argument-adjunct distinction

272

(1)

Valence and the autonomy-dependence continuum

273

(2)

Symbolic instantiation in constructions

275

(8)

Part Three From Universal Constructions to Syntactic Space

The Voice Continuum

283

(37)

Introduction

283

(5)

Do language universals need universal constructions?

283

(1)

Active, passive, inverse: delimiting the grammatical domain

284

(4)

Prelude: Animacy Constraints in Actives and Passives

288

(2)

The Structural Variety of Actives and Passives

290

(12)

Some so-called passives

290

(5)

Some so-called inverses

295

(7)

Blurring the Active-Nonactive Distinction

302

(8)

Some so-called ``passives'' and ergatives

303

(3)

Philippine voice systems

306

(3)

Person-based split ergative systems

309

(1)

A Typological-Universal Analysis of Voice Constructions

310

(10)

Syntactic space and the nonuniversality of constructions

310

(4)

Universals of syntactic space

314

(6)

The Coordination-Subordination Continuum

320

(42)

Introduction

320

(8)

The traditional classification of complex sentences

320

(2)

The continuum of complex sentence types

322

(6)

A Gestalt Analysis of Coordination and Adverbial Subordination

328

(18)

The semantic parallelism of ``coordination'' and ``adverbial subordination''

328

(1)

Adverbial clauses and figure-ground constructions

329

(7)

Coordination and complex figure constructions

336

(2)

Conventionalized construals: conditionals and comparatives

338

(3)

The evolution of complex sentences to deranked clause chains

341

(5)

E-site Elaboration and the Typology of Complements and Relative Clauses

346

(8)

E-site elaboration

346

(3)

From figure-ground to relative clause

349

(2)

From purpose clause to infinitival complement

351

(1)

From serial verb to complement

352

(2)

The Syntactic Space of Complex Sentences: the Deranking Hierarchy

354

(7)

Conclusion

361

(1)

Syntactic Theory and the Theory of Language

362

(7)

References

369

(24)

Index of Authors

393

(4)

Index of Languages

397

(4)

Index of Constructions, Categories, and Features

401

(6)

Index of Subjects

407

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Radical Construction Grammar Syntactic Theory in Typological Perspective

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

FREE SHIPPING

Rent More, Save More! Use code: BBRENTAL

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Radical Construction Grammar Syntactic Theory in Typological Perspective

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

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