Understanding Minimalist Syntax

Lessons from Locality in Long-Distance Dependencies

Cedric Boeckx

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN:
  9781405157957
  9781405157940
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780470765807
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Syntax in Linguistics
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Understanding Minimalist Syntax introduces the logic of the Minimalist Program by analyzing well-known descriptive generalizations about long-distance dependencies.

• An introduction to the logic of the minimalist program - arguably the most important branch of syntax
• Proposes a new theory of how long-distance dependencies are formed, with implications for theories of locality, and the minimalist program as a whole
• Introduces the logic of the minimalist program by analyzing well-known descriptive generalizations about long-distance dependencies, and asks why they should be true of natural languages
• Rich in empirical coverage, which will be welcomed by experts in the field, yet accessible enough for students looking for an introduction to the minimalist program.

Table of contents

• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1 Introductory Remarks
• 1.1 The Framework
• 1.2 Outline of the Book: Goals and Structure
• Chapter 2 The Marks of Successive Cyclicity (The What-Question)
• 2.1 Subjacency and the Emergence of Successive Cyclicity
• 2.2 The Evidence
• 2.2.1 Syntax
• 2.2.2 Morphology
• 2.2.3 Phonology
• 2.2.4 Semantics
• 2.2.5 Morpho-syntactic evidence from overtly stranded pieces
• 2.3 A-movement
• 2.4 Conclusion
• Chapter 3 The Distribution of Intermediate Landing Sites (The Where-Question)
• 3.1 Punctuated vs. Uniform Paths
• 3.2 The Difficulties Faced by Punctuated Path Hypotheses
• 3.2.1 Phases: an overview
• 3.2.2 Conceptual arguments for phases
• 3.2.3 Arguments against phases
• 3.2.4 Old problems for phases
• 3.2.5 No empirical argument for phases
• 3.3 Conclusion
• Chapter 4 The Timing of Intermediate Steps of Movement (The When-Question)
• 4.1 Early vs. Late Successive Cyclicity
• 4.2 Takahashi (1994)
• 4.3 The Evidence for Early Successive Cyclic Movement
• 4.3.1 Background information on applicatives
• 4.3.2 The need for early successive cyclic movement
• 4.4 Potential Arguments for Late Successive Cyclic Movement
• 4.4.1 Sub-extraction out of a moved element
• 4.4.2 Intervening traces
• 4.4.3 Object agreement
• 4.5 Conclusion
• Chapter 5 The Motivation for Intermediate Movement Steps (The Why-Question)
• 5.1 Last Resort
• 5.2 Problematic Cases
• 5.2.1 Concord
• 5.2.2 Successive cyclicity
• 5.3 Anti-locality
• 5.4 Anti-locality and Successive Cyclicity
• 5.5 Anti-locality and Last Resort
• 5.6 The Why -Question
• 5.7 Conclusion
• Chapter 6 Alternative Views on Successive Cyclicity
• 6.1 TAG-based Accounts
• 6.2 An Agreement-based Account
• 6.3 Prolific Domains
• 6.4 Greed-based Approaches
• 6.5 Conclusion
• Chapter 7 Successive Cyclicity and Other Aspects of Locality
• 7.1 The Standard View on Islands
• 7.2 Puzzles for the Standard View
• 7.2.1 Movement, freezing, and escape hatch
• 7.2.2 Island by default?
• 7.2.3 Island-obviation
• 7.3 Ross’s View
• 7.4 Agreement and Islandhood
• 7.5 Conclusion
• Chapter 8 Concluding Remarks
• References
• Index