Syntactic Theory: A Formal Introduction, 2nd Edition / Edition 2

by Ivan A. Sag, Thomas Wasow, Emily M. Bender

Overview

This second edition of Syntactic Theory: A Formal Introduction expands and improves upon a truly unique introductory syntax textbook. Like the first edition, its focus is on the development of precisely formulated grammars whose empirical predictions can be directly tested. There is also considerable emphasis on the prediction and evaluation of grammatical hypotheses, as well as on integrating syntactic hypotheses with matters of semantic analysis.

The book covers the core areas of English syntax from the last quarter century, including complementation, control, "raising constructions," passives, the auxiliary system, and the analysis of long distance dependency constructions. Syntactic Theory's step-by-step introduction to a consistent grammar in these core areas is complemented by extensive problem sets drawing from a variety of languages.

The book's theoretical perspective is presented in the context of current models of language processing, and the practical value of the constraint-based, lexicalist grammatical architecture proposed has already been demonstrated in computer language processing applications. This thoroughly reworked second edition includes revised and extended problem sets, updated analyses, additional examples, and more detailed exposition throughout.

Praise for the first edition:
"Syntactic Theory sets a new standard for introductory syntax volumes that all future books should be measured against."—Gert Webelhuth, Journal of Linguistics

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781575864006
Publisher:	Center for the Study of Language and Inf
Publication date:	04/01/2003
Series:	Lecture Notes , #152
Edition description:	2nd Edition
Pages:	608
Sales rank:	889,240
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

Emily M. Bender is professor in the Department of Linguistics, adjunct professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, faculty director of the Master of Science in Computational Linguistics, and director of the Computational Linguistics Laboratory, all at the University of Washington.

Table of Contents

Preface
1. Introduction
2. Some Simple Theories of Grammar
3. Analyzing Features of Grammatical Categories
4. Complex Feature Values
5. Semantics
6. How the Grammar Works
7. Binding Theory
8. The Structure of the Lexicon
9. Realistic Grammar
10. The Passive Construction
11. Nominal Types: Dummies and Idioms
12. Infinitival Complements
13. Auxiliary verbs
14. Long-Distance Dependencies
15. Variation in the English Auxiliary System
16. Sign-Based Construction Grammar
Appendix A: Summary of the Grammar
Appendix B: Related Grammatical Theories
Answers to Exercises
Glossary
References
Index