Syntactic relations : a critical survey

Bibliographic Information

Syntactic relations : a critical survey

P.H. Matthews

(Cambridge studies in linguistics, 114)

Cambridge University Press, 2007

  • : pbk
  • : hardback

Other Title

Syntactic relations

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Note

"References": p. 199-204

Includes index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Accounts of syntax are usually based on two assumptions: firstly, that a sentence comprises a hierarchy of phrases, forming a 'tree' structure; and secondly, that phrases have 'heads', on which subordinate units depend. These fundamental assumptions are questioned in this critical survey, which argues that neither concept is important as is claimed, and that syntactic relations are in fact far more varied. Drawing on data from English as well as other major European languages, it summarizes earlier accounts of syntactic structure and looks at the different ways in which specific constructions have been described - the subject of much disagreement between linguists. It explores the problems faced by particular analyses, and raises the question of whether syntax should be made simpler than it is. Suitable for non-specialists and complete with a clear and useful glossary, Syntactic Relations will become an essential and thought-provoking read for students and researchers in linguistic theory.

Table of Contents

  • Preface
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. What beginners are told
  • 3. Heads and dependents
  • 4. Must phrases have heads?
  • 5. Asymmetries
  • 6. Constituents
  • 7. Must constructions reduce to tree structures?
  • 8. Simplicity
  • Glossary
  • References
  • Index.

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Details

  • NCID
    BA79936822
  • ISBN
    • 9780521608299
    • 9780521845762
  • Country Code
    uk
  • Title Language Code
    eng
  • Text Language Code
    eng
  • Place of Publication
    Cambridge
  • Pages/Volumes
    ix, 210 p.
  • Size
    23 cm
  • Classification
  • Subject Headings
  • Parent Bibliography ID
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