Reflects a deep understanding of both syntax and semantics, but never gets lost in technical issues ... Refreshingly framework-neutral with respect to the precise implementation of some theoretical issues, ending up by being compatible with a number of existing theories on locality and events.

Language

This book examines some knotty problems in natural language. These typically involve questions where the sense or the grammaticality of an utterance teeters on or over the edge of acceptability among native speakers. The phenomena in question have been examined within syntactic theory for over two decades with no wholly satisfactory outcome. Dr Truswell broadens the scope of the enquiry to the interface between syntactic structure and other, indirectly related, cognitive, and semantic structures such as aspect, agentivity, and presupposition. Uniting work from philosophical, cognitive and linguistic perspectives, he develops a model of the internal structure of events as perceptual and cognitive units. He deploys the model to explain and predict the acceptability of particular formulations. He considers the individuation of events in the light of the model and provides a novel account of patterns of question formation. He shows that these patterns throw new light on central claims of Chomsky's biolinguistic minimalist program and Jackendoff's parallel architecture theory of mind and language. This is work at the cutting edge of linguistic theory, catholic in its theoretical scope, open to insights from cognate fields, and illustrated with examples from a wide range of languages. It will interest philosophers, semanticists and cognitive scientists concerned with topics like events, agentivity, and planning, as well as linguists studying syntax or the syntax-semantics interface.
Les mer
Uniting work from philosophical, cognitive and linguistic perspectives, Dr Truswell develops a model of the structure of events as perceptual and cognitive units. He predicts the acceptability of particular formulations, considers the individuation of events in the light of the model, and provides a novel account of patterns of question formation.
Les mer
1. Introduction ; PART I: THE STRUCTURE OF EVENTS ; 2. The Variable Size of Events ; 3. Single Events From Multiple Verb Phrases and the Role of Agentivity ; 4. Structures Built From Events ; PART II: EVENTS AND LOCALITY ; 5. Where We Stand ; 6. Extraction From Adjuncts ; 7. Extraction From Complement Clauses and rhe Effect of Tense ; 8. Architectural Issues ; 9. Conclusion ; References ; Author Index ; Subject Index
Les mer
An original and accessible contribution to the study of the syntax-semantics interface Offers two simplified theories, which interact to produce surprisingly far-reaching results Crosses the boundaries of current research communities Suitable for use in graduate courses
Les mer
Robert Truswell is British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in Linguistics and English Language at the School of Philosophy, Psychology, and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh. His research broadly concerns the interfaces between syntax and semantics. He received his PhD in Phonetics and Linguistics from University College London in 2007 and then spent a year as a postdoctoral research fellow at Tufts University
Les mer
An original and accessible contribution to the study of the syntax-semantics interface Offers two simplified theories, which interact to produce surprisingly far-reaching results Crosses the boundaries of current research communities Suitable for use in graduate courses
Les mer

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780199577774
Publisert
2011
Utgiver
Oxford University Press
Vekt
536 gr
Høyde
241 mm
Bredde
166 mm
Dybde
21 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
280

Forfatter

Biografisk notat

Robert Truswell is British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in Linguistics and English Language at the School of Philosophy, Psychology, and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh. His research broadly concerns the interfaces between syntax and semantics. He received his PhD in Phonetics and Linguistics from University College London in 2007 and then spent a year as a postdoctoral research fellow at Tufts University