Understanding MinimalismUnderstanding Minimalism is a state-of-the-art introduction to the Minimalist Program the current model of syntactic theory within generative linguistics. Accessibly written, it presents the basic principles and techniques of the minimalist program, looking firstly at analyses within Government and Binding Theory (the Minimalist Program s predecessor), and gradually introducing minimalist alternatives. Minimalist models of grammar are presented in a step-by-step fashion, and the ways in which they contrast with GB analyses are clearly explained. Spanning a decade of minimalist thinking, this textbook will enable students to develop a feel for the sorts of questions and problems that minimalism invites, and to master the techniques of minimalist analysis. Over 100 exercises are provided, encouraging them to put these new skills into practice. Understanding Minimalism will be an invaluable text for intermediate and advanced students of syntactic theory, and will set a solid foundation for further study and research within Chomsky s minimalist framework. |
Contents
The minimalist project | 1 |
12 Some background | 2 |
13 Big facts economy and some minimalist projects | 7 |
14 Using GB as a benchmark | 13 |
15 The basic story line | 14 |
16 Organization of Understanding Minimalism | 16 |
Some architectural issues in a minimalist setting | 19 |
222 Levels of representation | 20 |
63 Bare phrase structure | 196 |
632 The operation Merge | 200 |
633 Revisiting the properties of phrase structure | 208 |
64 The operation Move and the copy theory | 212 |
65 Conclusion | 217 |
Linearization | 218 |
72 Imposing linear order onto XTheory templates | 219 |
73 The Linear Correspondence Axiom LCA | 223 |
223 The Tmodel | 22 |
224 The Projection Principle | 23 |
226 Modules | 24 |
231 Rethinking SStnicture | 25 |
232 Rethinking DStructwe | 48 |
24 The picture so far | 72 |
Theta domains | 76 |
32 External arguments | 77 |
322 The PredicateInternal Subject Hypothesis PISH | 80 |
323 Some empirical arguments for the PISH | 81 |
324 Summary | 91 |
33 Ditransitive verbs | 92 |
332 Verbal shells I | 96 |
333 Verbal shells II | 97 |
34 PISH revisited | 101 |
342 Unaccusalive and unergative verbs | 105 |
35 Conclusion | 109 |
Case domains | 111 |
42 Configurations for Caseassignment within GB | 113 |
43 A unified Spechead approach to Case Theory | 116 |
432 Checking accusative Case under the VPShell Hypothesis | 122 |
433 Checking oblique Case | 123 |
434 PRO and Case Theory | 127 |
44 Some empirical consequences | 131 |
441 Accusative Casechecking and ccommand domains | 133 |
442 Accusative Casechecking and overt object movement | 137 |
45 Conclusion | 140 |
Movement and minimality effects | 141 |
52 Relativized minimality within GB | 143 |
53 The problem | 146 |
54 Minimality and equidistance | 148 |
541 Minimality and equidistance in an Agrbased system | 151 |
542 Minimality and equidistance in an Agrless system | 161 |
55 Relativizing minimality to features | 169 |
56 Conclusion | 172 |
Phrase structure | 174 |
62 XTheory and properties of phrase structure | 176 |
622 Binary branching | 179 |
623 Singlemotherhood | 182 |
624 Barlevels and constituent parts | 184 |
625 Functional heads and XTheory | 189 |
626 Success and clouds | 193 |
74 The LCA and word order variation | 235 |
75 Traces and the LCA | 240 |
76 Conclusion | 246 |
Binding Theory | 247 |
82 Binding Theory phenomena as potential arguments | 248 |
822 Principle A | 249 |
823 Principle B | 252 |
824 Principle C | 254 |
825 Summary | 255 |
83 The copy theory to the rescue | 256 |
831 Reconstruction as LF deletion | 257 |
832 The Preference Principle | 264 |
833 Indices and inclusiveness where does Binding Theory apply after all? | 270 |
834 Idiom interpretation and anaphor binding | 272 |
835 Further issues | 276 |
84 Conclusion | 285 |
Feature interpretability and feature checking | 286 |
93 Feature interpretability and Last Resort | 290 |
932 To be or not to be interpretable that is the question | 293 |
933 A case study of expletives | 299 |
94 Covert movement | 302 |
Move F | 304 |
Agree | 317 |
95 Conclusion | 328 |
Derivational economy | 330 |
preliminary remarks | 331 |
103 Derivational economy and local computations | 333 |
1032 Preference for Merge over Move | 335 |
1033 0relations and economy computations | 341 |
104 The derivation by phase | 345 |
1042 Phases | 346 |
1043 Subarrays | 352 |
1044 Working on the edge | 358 |
105 Economy of lexical resources | 363 |
106 Conclusion | 365 |
Glossary of minimalist definitions | 366 |
References | 369 |
| 392 | |
Name index | 393 |
| 397 | |
Other editions - View all
Understanding Minimalism Norbert Hornstein,Jairo Nunes,Kleanthes K. Grohmann No preview available - 2005 |
Common terms and phrases
adjunction agreement Agrop anaphor applications of Merge approach assigned assume assumption asymmetrically c-commands bare phrase structure Binding Theory Brazilian Portuguese Case-checking Case-feature chapter checking Chomsky clause complement computational system conceptual configuration Consider contrast convergent copy theory coreference covert movement deletion ditransitive domain economy empirical endocentricity English equidistance Exercise expletive Extension Condition external argument fact formal features given grammar head Hornstein illustrated Infl instance interface interpretable Lasnik lexical items light verb Linear Correspondence Axiom linearization Mary minimalist Minimalist Program minimality Moby Dick move N:SG null numeration Nunes o-features operations options overtly phonetically phonological phrase structure picture PISH position predicate Principle problem pronoun properties relation relative clauses relevant discussion representation sentences someone Spec Spec-head Spec,CP specifier Spell-Out strong feature syntactic objects syntax TP John traces unaccusative verbs unergative verbs Uriagereka wh-feature wh-movement wh-phrase wondered cp word order X'-Theory