Studies in Relational Grammar 1

by David M. Perlmutter

Overview

In this long-awaited book—the first in a three-volume work—David M. Perlmutter has co-authored and edited ten essays that introduce relational grammar, a novel conception of sentence structure that offers far-reaching conclusions for universal grammar.

The basic ideas of relational grammar can be simply stated. First, grammatical relations such as 'subject of,' 'direct object of,' and 'indirect object of,' are needed to characterize the class of grammatical constructions in the clausal syntax of natural languages, to formulate universals of grammar, and to construct adequate and insightful grammars of individual languages. Second, the range of linguistic variation in word order and case patterns makes it impossible to define grammatical relations in terms of phrase structure configurations or case. Rather, grammatical relations must be taken as primitive notions of linguistic theory.

The papers collected here take up the first of these ideas. They lay out the basic theoretical constructs of relational grammar and discuss three areas of grammar—advancement construction, raising, and clause union. In his introduction, Perlmutter discusses each of the papers—most of which are published here for the first time—and places them in the context of the whole of linguistic study.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780226660509
Publisher:	University of Chicago Press
Publication date:	03/01/1983
Pages:	428
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

David M. Perlmutter is professor of linguistics at the University of California at San Diego.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part One
1. Toward a Universal Characterization of Passivization
David M. Perlmutter and Paul M. Postal
2. The Relational Succession of Law
David M. Perlmutter and Paul M. Postal
3. Some Proposed Laws of Basic Clause Structure
David M. Perlmutter and Paul M. Postal
4. Indirect Objects in Kinyarwanda Revisited
Matthew S. Dryer
Part Two
5. Advancements and Ascensions in Cebuano
Sarah J. Bell
6. An Object-Creating Rule in Bahasa Indonesia
Sandra Chung
7. Indirect Object Advancement in Tzotzil
Judith L. Aissen
8. Advancements and Verb Agreement in Southern Tiwa
Barbara J. Allen and Donald G. Frantz
Part Three
9. Subject-Direct Object Raising in Niuean
William J. Seiter
10. Clause Reduction in Spanish
Judith L. Aissen and David M. Perlmutter
Index