Language acquisition and the form of the grammar / David Lebeaux.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lebeaux, David.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Language acquisition.

Generative grammar.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (307 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Philadelphia : J. Benjamins, c2000.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Language Acquisition and the Form of the Grammar attempts to re-think the ideal organization of the grammar, given its need to be learned. The book proposes a fundamental connection between the form of the adult grammar and the sequence of grammars which the child adopts in first language acquisition. Challenging the conventional division between language acquisition and syntax, this influential work constructs a new understanding of phrase structure, bringing syntactic data to bear on phrase structure composition. Two new phrase structure composition operations are proposed, Adjoin-α, which adjoins adjuncts into the structure, and Project-α, which fuses open class and closed class structures. The author also introduces the novel concept of subgrammars, successively larger grammars that take the child from the initial state to the adult grammar. This work will be of interest to those in the areas of syntax, language acquisition, learnability, and cognitive science in general.

Contents:

LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND THE FORM OF THE GRAMMAR

Editorial page

Title page

LCC page

Table of Contents

Epigraph

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1. A Re-Definition of the Problem

Chapter 2. Project-a , Argument-Linking, and Telegraphic Speech

Chapter 3. Adjoin-a and Relative Clauses

Chapter 4. Agreement and Merger

Chapter 5. The Abrogation of DS Functions: Dislocated Constituents and Indexing Relations

References

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [259]-272) and index.

ISBN:

9786612162718

9781282162716

1282162713

9789027298454

9027298459

OCLC:

70767553