Understanding Minimalism (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics)

✍ Scribed by Norbert Hornstein, Jairo Nunes, Kleanthes K. Grohmann

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 423
• Series: Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Minimalist models of grammar are developed logically in this volume and the ways in which they contrast with GB analysis are clearly explained. Spanning a decade of minimalist thinking, the textbook will enable students to better understand the questions and problems that minimalism invites, and to master the techniques of minimalist analysis. Over 100 exercises are provided, encouraging students to put their new skills into practice. The book will be an invaluable text for intermediate and advanced students of syntactic theory, as well as a solid foundation for further study and research within Chomsky's minimalist framework.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Abstract......Page 3
Title Page......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Preface......Page 13
Abbreviations......Page 15
1.1 The point of this book......Page 19
1.2 Some background......Page 20
1.3 Big facts, economy, and some minimalist projects......Page 25
1.4 Using GB as a benchmark......Page 31
1.5 The basic story line......Page 32
1.6 Organization of Understanding Minimalism......Page 34
2.2.1 General architecture......Page 37
2.2.2.1 D-Structure......Page 38
2.2.2.2 S-Structure......Page 39
2.2.3 The “T-model”......Page 40
2.2.5 The transformational component......Page 41
2.3 Minimalist qualms......Page 42
2.3.1 Rethinking S-Structure......Page 43
2.3.1.1 Case Theory considerations: assignment vs. checking......Page 44
2.3.1.2 Binding Theory considerations: what moves in wh-movement?......Page 51
2.3.1.3 Movement parameters, feature strength, and Procrastinate......Page 55
2.3.1.4 An excursion to wh-movement in Brazilian Portuguese......Page 60
2.3.1.5 A note on Procrastinate......Page 63
2.3.1.6 Computational split and Spell-Out......Page 64
2.3.1.7 Summary......Page 65
2.3.2 Rethinking D-Structure......Page 66
2.3.2.1 Recursion and the operation Merge......Page 67
2.3.2.2 Control and raising constructions......Page 68
2.3.2.3 Headless relative clauses......Page 75
2.3.2.4 Intermezzo: A quick note on cyclicity......Page 80
2.3.2.5 Tough-movement constructions......Page 82
2.3.2.6 The starting point and the numeration......Page 86
2.4 The picture so far......Page 90
3.1 Introduction......Page 94
3.2.1 θ-marking of external arguments and government......Page 95
3.2.2 The Predicate-Internal Subject Hypothesis (PISH)......Page 98
3.2.3.1 Idioms and raising......Page 99
3.2.3.2 The Coordinate Structure Constraint......Page 102
3.2.3.3 Binding effects......Page 103
3.2.3.4 Floating quantifiers......Page 104
3.2.3.5 VSO order......Page 106
3.2.4 Summary......Page 109
3.3.1 The puzzles......Page 110
3.3.2 Verbal shells I......Page 114
3.3.3 Verbal shells II......Page 115
3.4.1 Simple transitive verbs......Page 119
3.4.2 Unaccusative and unergative verbs......Page 123
3.5 Conclusion......Page 127
4.1 Introduction......Page 129
4.2 Configurations for Case-assignment within GB......Page 131
4.3.1 Checking accusative Case under the Split-Infl Hypothesis......Page 134
4.3.2 Checking accusative Case under the VP-Shell Hypothesis......Page 140
4.3.3 Checking oblique Case......Page 141
4.3.4 PRO and Case Theory......Page 145
4.4 Some empirical consequences......Page 149
4.4.1 Accusative Case-checking and c-command domains......Page 151
4.4.2 Accusative Case-checking and overt object movement......Page 155
4.5 Conclusion......Page 158
5.1 Introduction......Page 159
5.2 Relativized minimality within GB......Page 161
5.3 The problem......Page 164
5.4 Minimality and equidistance......Page 166
5.4.1 Minimality and equidistance in an Agr-based system......Page 169
5.4.1.1 Deriving simple transitive clauses......Page 170
5.4.1.2 Preventing overgeneration......Page 173
5.4.1.3 Residual problems......Page 175
5.4.2 Minimality and equidistance in an Agr-less system......Page 179
5.4.2.1 Towards eliminating AgrO......Page 180
5.4.2.2 Towards eliminating AgrS......Page 185
5.4.2.3 Equidistance and word order......Page 186
5.5 Relativiting minimality to features......Page 187
5.6 Conclusion......Page 190
6.1 Introduction......Page 192
6.2.1 Endocentricity......Page 194
6.2.2 Binary branching......Page 197
6.2.3 Singlemotherhood......Page 200
6.2.4 Bar-levels and constituent parts......Page 202
6.2.5 Functional heads and Xʹ-Theory......Page 207
6.2.6 Success and clouds......Page 211
6.3.1 Functional determination of bar-levels......Page 214
6.3.2 The operation Merge......Page 218
6.3.3 Revisiting the properties of phrase structure......Page 226
6.4 The operation Move and the copy theory......Page 230
6.5 Conclusion......Page 235
7.1 Introduction......Page 236
7.2 Imposing linear order onto Xʹ-Theory templates......Page 237
7.3 The Linear Correspondence Axiom (LCA)......Page 241
7.4 The LCA and word order variation......Page 253
7.5 Traces and the LCA......Page 258
7.6 Conclusion......Page 264
8.1 Introduction......Page 265
8.2.1 Warming up......Page 266
8.2.2 Principle A......Page 267
8.2.3 Principle B......Page 270
8.2.4 Principle C......Page 272
8.2.5 Summary......Page 273
8.3 The copy theory to the rescue......Page 274
8.3.1 Reconstruction as LF deletion......Page 275
8.3.2 The Preference Principle......Page 282
8.3.3 Indices and inclusiveness (where does Binding Theory apply, after all?)......Page 288
8.3.4 Idiom interpretation and anaphor binding......Page 290
8.3.5.1 Binding into complement and adjunct clauses......Page 294
8.3.5.2 The Extension Condition and sideward movement......Page 298
8.4 Conclusion......Page 303
9.2 Some questions concerning checking theory......Page 304
9.3.1 Features in the computation......Page 308
9.3.2 To be or not to be interpretable, that is the question......Page 311
9.3.3 A case study of expletives......Page 317
9.4.1 Some problems......Page 320
9.4.2.1 The operation Move F......Page 322
9.4.2.2 Move F and Procrastinate......Page 328
9.4.2.3 Move F and the Extension Condition......Page 331
9.4.2.4 Move F and checking domains......Page 333
9.4.2.5 Summary......Page 334
9.4.3.1 The operation Agree......Page 335
9.4.3.2 Expletive constructions in the Agree-based system......Page 341
9.4.3.3 Interpretation asymmetries in the Agree-based system......Page 343
9.4.3.5 Summary......Page 345
9.5 Conclusion......Page 346
10.1 Introduction......Page 348
10.2 Economy computations: preliminary remarks......Page 349
10.3.1 Existential constructions: the problem......Page 351
10.3.2 Preference for Merge over Move......Page 353
10.3.3 θ-relations and economy computations......Page 359
10.4.1 More on economy and computational complexity......Page 363
10.4.2 Phases......Page 364
10.4.3 Subarrays......Page 370
10.4.4 Working on the edge......Page 376
10.5 Economy of lexical resources......Page 381
10.6 Conclusion......Page 383
Glossary of minimalist definitions......Page 384
References......Page 387
Index of names......Page 411
Index of subjects......Page 415