Functional Syntax and Universal Grammar

Functional Syntax and Universal Grammar PDF

Author: William A. Foley

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1984-09-13

Total Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 9780521269049

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The key argument of this book, originally published in 1984, is that when human beings communicate with each other by means of a natural language they typically do not do so in simple sentences but rather in connected discourse - complex expressions made up of a number of clauses linked together in various ways. A necessary precondition for intelligible discourse is the speaker's ability to signal the temporal relations between the events that are being discussed and to refer to the participants in those events in such a way that it is clear who is being talked about. A great deal of the grammatical machinery in a language is devoted to this task, and Functional Syntax and Universal Grammar explores how different grammatical systems accomplish it. This book is an important attempt to integrate the study of linguistic form with the study of language use and meaning. It will be of particular interest to field linguists and those concerned with typology and language universals, and also to anthropologists involved in the study of language function.

Lexical-Functional Syntax

Lexical-Functional Syntax PDF

Author: Joan Bresnan

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2015-08-31

Total Pages: 549

ISBN-13: 1405187816

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Lexical-Functional Syntax, 2nd Edition, the definitive text for Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG) with a focus on syntax, is updated to reflect recent developments in the field. Provides both an introduction to LFG and a synthesis of major theoretical developments in lexical-functional syntax over the past few decades Includes in-depth discussions of a large number of syntactic phenomena from typologically diverse languages Features extensive problem sets and solutions in each chapter to aid in self-study Incorporates reader feedback from the 1st Edition to correct errors and enhance clarity

Explorations in Functional Syntax

Explorations in Functional Syntax PDF

Author: George David Morley

Publisher: Equinox Publishing Ltd.

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 9781904768005

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Explorations in Functional Syntax develops a practical framework for analyzing the syntactic structure of a text from a functional perspective. It outlines a model in which the syntactic analysis, on a single dimension, mirrors more explicitly the multidimensional meaning structure of the text. The syntactic framework thus takes account of semantic concepts such as participants and things, processes, features and qualities, and circumstances, all of which constitute elements of ideas. But it also deals with the cohesive links which connect ideas and with personal comments, etc. which may be interspersed in amongst them. Though set firmly in the mould of systemic functional grammar, the book focuses on lexicogrammar -grammatical units and relations, structural elements, configurations and complexities; social context and the semantic stratum are sketched out only as integral background. In elaborating a unitary syntactic framework which is functionally orientated so as to reflect the meaning structure of a text, the book represents a significant departure from the 'standard' mode of handling lexicogrammar in systemic linguistics. Important differences have been introduced with regard, firstly, to the nature of units on the rank scale and their relationships to structural complexes and, secondly, to the range and scope of elements of clause structure. The book is well illustrated with examples of the descriptive framework in action throughout the text and in a summary end chapter.

Advances in Role and Reference Grammar

Advances in Role and Reference Grammar PDF

Author: Robert D. Van Valin, Jr.

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 1992-01-01

Total Pages: 583

ISBN-13: 9027277516

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This volume presents research on major issues in syntactic theory within Role and Reference Grammar. This theory was first presented in detail in Functional Syntax and Universal Grammar [FSUG], and these papers represent both expansions and applications of the theory to a wide range of phenomena. The first section contains an introduction to the theory which is the most thorough statement of it since FSUG, summarizing the features of Role and Reference Grammar established there and developing new theoretical components and analyses of syntactic phenomena not discussed in the earlier work. Throughout the discussion features of RRG are compared and contrasted with comparable features of other syntactic theories. The remainder of the volume is devoted to detailed analyses of specific problems, e.g. control, case marking, in a wide variety of languages, e.g. Mandarin Chinese, Nootka, Mparntwe Arrernte and Turkish. Thus the works presented here illustrate well the strong cross-linguistic approach to syntactic theory and description in Role and Reference Grammar.

The Rise of Functional Categories

The Rise of Functional Categories PDF

Author: Elly van Gelderen

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 9027227292

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In recent years, word order has come to be seen, within a Government Binding/Minimalist framework, as determined by functional as well as lexical categories. Within this framework, functional categories are often seen as present in every language without evidence being available in that language. This book contains arguments that even though Universal Grammar makes functional categories available, the language learner must decide whether or not to incorporate them in his or her grammar. For instance, it is shown that English has one (not two as often assumed) functional category between the complementizer and the Negation, but that languages such as Dutch, Swedish, German and Old and Middle English have none. The title of the book can be seen in terms of the direction current research is taking; it can also be seen in terms of the changes that have taken place in English.

Balkan Syntax and (Universal) Principles of Grammar

Balkan Syntax and (Universal) Principles of Grammar PDF

Author: Iliyana Krapova

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2018-11-19

Total Pages: 349

ISBN-13: 3110375931

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This book investigates morpho-syntactic convergences that characterize the languages of the Balkan Sprachbund: Balkan Slavic, Greek, Romanian, Albanian, Balkan Romani. Apart from new data, the volume features contributions within different theoretical frameworks (contact linguistics, functional linguistics, typology, areal linguistics, and generative grammar).

Parameter Hierarchies and Universal Grammar

Parameter Hierarchies and Universal Grammar PDF

Author: Ian Roberts

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2019-06-27

Total Pages: 730

ISBN-13: 0198804636

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This book develops a minimalist approach to cross-linguistic morphosyntactic variation. Ian Roberts argues that the essential insight of the principles-and-parameters approach to variation can be maintained - albeit in a somewhat different guise - in the context of the minimalist program for linguistic theory. The central idea is to organize the parameters of Universal Grammar (UG) into hierarchies that define the ways in which properties of individually variant categories and features may act in concert. A further leading idea, which is consistent with the overall goal of the minimalist programme to reduce the content of UG, is that the parameter hierarchies are not directly determined by UG, and are instead emergent properties stemming from the interaction of the three factors in language design. Cross-linguistic variation in word order, null subjects, incorporation, verb-movement, case/alignment, wh-movement, and negation are all analyzed in the light of this approach. This book represents a significant new contribution to the formal study of cross-linguistic morphosyntactic variation on both the empirical and theoretical levels, and will appeal to researchers and students in all areas of theoretical linguistics and comparative syntax.

Chomsky's Universal Grammar

Chomsky's Universal Grammar PDF

Author: Vivian Cook

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Published: 1996-04-19

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 9780631195566

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Chomsky's Universal Grammar introduces both the general concepts of the theory, particularly its goals of describing the knowledge of language and of accounting for how it is acquired, and the main areas of syntax such as X-bar theory, movement and government.