Minimalist Syntax: Exploring the Structure of English (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics)

528 Pages·2004·2.8 MB·English

by  Andrew Radford

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Minimalist Syntax
ExploringtheStructureofEnglish
Andrew Radford’s latest textbook, Minimalist Syntax:
ExploringtheStructureofEnglish,providesaclearandacces-
sibleintroductiontocurrentworkinsyntactictheory,draw-
ingonthekeyconceptsofChomsky’sMinimalistProgram.
Assuming little or no prior knowledge of syntactic theory,
Radfordtakesstudentsthroughadiverserangeoftopicsin
Englishsyntax–suchascategoriesandfeatures,merger,null
constituents,movement,case,splitprojectionsandphases–
andshowshowthe‘computationalcomponent’workswithin
theminimalistframework.Beginningatanelementarylevel,
thebookintroducesgrammaticalconceptsandsetsoutthe
theoreticalfoundationsofPrinciplesandParametersandUni-
versalGrammar,beforeprogressinginstagestowardsmore
complexphenomena.Eachchaptercontainsaworkbooksec-
tion, in which students are encouraged to make their own
analysesofEnglishphrasesandsentencesthroughexercises,
modelanswersand‘helpfulhints’.Thereisalsoanextensive
glossaryofterms.
Althoughdesignedprimarilyforcoursesonsyntacticthe-
oryorEnglishsyntax,thisbookalsoprovidesanup-to-date,
clearandstraightforwardintroductiontothefield.
andrew radford isProfessorofLinguisticsattheUni-
versityofEssex.Hehaspublishedsixbooksonsyntaxwith
CambridgeUniversityPress:ItalianSyntax(1977);Transfor-
mationalSyntax(1981);TransformationalGrammar(1988);
SyntacticTheoryandtheStructureofEnglish(1997);Syntax:
aMinimalistIntroduction(1997)andLinguistics:anIntro-
duction(co-authoredwithagroupofhisEssexcolleagues,
1999). He has also published a book on Syntactic Theory
and the Acquisition of English Syntax (Blackwell, Oxford,
1990)andnumerousarticlesonsyntaxandtheacquisitionof
syntax.

CAMBRIDGE TEXTBOOKS IN LINGUISTICS
Generaleditors:s. r. anderson, j. bresnan, b. comrie, w. dressler,
c. ewen, r. huddleston, r. lass, d. lightfoot, j. lyons,
p. h. matthews, r. posner, s. romaine, n. v. smith, n. vincent
Minimalist Syntax: Exploring the Structure of English
Inthisseries:
p. h. matthewsMorphologySecondedition
b. comrieAspect
r. m. kempsonSemanticTheory
t. bynonHistoricalLinguistics
j. allwood, l.-g. andersonando¨. dahlLogicinLinguistics
d. b. fryThePhysicsofSpeech
r. a. hudsonSociolinguisticsSecondedition
a. j. elliotChildLanguage
p. h. matthewsSyntax
a. radfordTransformationalSyntax
l. bauerEnglishWord-Formation
s. c. levinsonPragmatics
g. brownandg. yuleDiscourseAnalysis
r. huddlestonIntroductiontotheGrammarofEnglish
r. lassPhonology
a. comrieTense
w. kleinSecondLanguageAcquisition
a. j. woods, p. fletcheranda. hughesStatisticsinLanguageStudies
d. a. cruseLexicalSemantics
a. radfordTransformationalGrammar
m. garmanPsycholinguistics
g. g. corbettGender
h. j. giegerichEnglishPhonology
r. cannFormalSemantics
j. laverPrinciplesofPhonetics
f. r. palmerGrammaticalRolesandRelations
m. a. jonesFoundationsofFrenchSyntax
a. radfordSyntacticTheoryandtheStructureofEnglish:aMinimalistApproach
r. d. van valin, jr,andr. j. lapollaSyntax:Structure,MeaningandFunction
a. durantiLinguisticAnthropology
a. cruttendenIntonationSecondedition
j. k. chambersandp. trudgillDialectologySecondedition
c. lyonsDefiniteness
r. kagerOptimalityTheory
j. a. holmAnIntroductiontoPidginsandCreoles
c. g. corbettNumber
c. j. ewenandh. van der hulstThePhonologicalStructureofWords
f. r. palmerMoodandModalitySecondedition
b. j. blakeCaseSecondedition
e. gussmanPhonology:AnalysisandTheory
m. yipTone
w. croftTypologyandUniversalsSecondedition
f. coulmasWritingSystems:anIntroductiontotheirLinguisticAnalysis
p. j. hopperande. c. traugottGrammaticalizationSecondedition
l. whiteSecondLanguageAcquisitionandUniversalGrammar
i. plagWord-FormationinEnglish
w. croftanda. cruseCognitiveLinguistics
a. siewierskaPerson
d. bu¨ringBindingTheory
a. radfordMinimalistSyntax:ExploringtheStructureofEnglish
Minimalist Syntax
Exploring the Structure of English
ANDREW RADFORD
UniversityofEssex
cambridge university press
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 2ru, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521834971
© Andrew Radford 2004
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of
relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place
without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2004
isbn-13 978-0-511-21185-0 eBook (EBL)
isbn-10 0-511-21362-x
eBook (EBL)
isbn-13 978-0-521-83497-1 hardback
isbn-10 0-521-83497-x hardback
isbn-13 978-0-521-54274-6 paperback
isbn-10 0-521-54274-x paperback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls
for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not
guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Contents
Preface pagexi
1 Grammar 1
1.1 Overview 1
1.2 Traditionalgrammar 1
1.3 UniversalGrammar 6
1.4 TheLanguageFaculty 10
1.5 PrinciplesofUniversalGrammar 13
1.6 Parameters 16
1.7 Parameter-setting 21
1.8 Evidenceusedtosetparameters 23
1.9 Summary 25
Workbooksection 26
2 Words 33
2.1 Overview 33
2.2 Grammaticalcategories 33
2.3 Categorisingwords 38
2.4 Functionalcategories 40
2.5 Determinersandquantifiers 41
2.6 Pronouns 44
2.7 Auxiliaries 47
2.8 Infinitivalto 49
2.9 Complementisers 52
2.10 Labelledbracketing 57
2.11 Grammaticalfeatures 58
2.12 Summary 60
Workbooksection 62
3 Structure 66
3.1 Overview 66
3.2 Phrases 66
3.3 Clauses 71
3.4 Specifiers 76
3.5 Intermediateandmaximalprojections 80
3.6 Testingstructure 84
3.7 Syntacticrelations 90
3.8 Barephrasestructure 94
vii
viii Contents
3.9 Summary 96
Workbooksection 98
4 Nullconstituents 106
4.1 Overview 106
4.2 Nullsubjects 106
4.3 Nullauxiliaries 111
4.4 NullTinauxiliarilessfiniteclauses 115
4.5 NullTinbareinfinitiveclauses 121
4.6 NullCinfiniteclauses 124
4.7 NullCinnon-finiteclauses 128
4.8 Defectiveclauses 131
4.9 Casepropertiesofsubjects 134
4.10 Nulldeterminers 140
4.11 Summary 145
Workbooksection 146
5 Headmovement 151
5.1 Overview 151
5.2 T-to-Cmovement 151
5.3 Movementascopyinganddeletion 154
5.4 V-to-Tmovement 158
5.5 Headmovement 162
5.6 Auxiliaryraising 166
5.7 Anotherlookatnegation 170
5.8 do-support 173
5.9 Headmovementinnominals 178
5.10 Summary 181
Workbooksection 183
6 Wh-movement 188
6.1 Overview 188
6.2 Wh-questions 188
6.3 Wh-movementasacopyingoperation 190
6.4 Wh-movement,EPPandtheAttractClosestPrinciple 197
6.5 Explainingwhatmoveswhere 202
6.6 Wh-subjectquestions 206
6.7 Pied-piping 211
6.8 Yes–noquestions 220
6.9 Wh-exclamatives 222
6.10 Relativeclauses 223
6.11 That-relatives 228
6.12 Summary 234
Workbooksection 236
7 A-movement 241
7.1 Overview 241
7.2 SubjectsinBelfastEnglish 241