Efficiency and complexity in grammars / John A. Hawkins.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hawkins, John A.

Series:

Oxford linguistics.

Oxford linguistics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Language and languages--Grammars.

Language and languages.

Linguistics.

Physical Description:

xvii, 303 p.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2004.

Summary:

John Hawkins demonstrates a clear link between how languages are used and the conventions of their grammars. He sets out a theory in which performance shapes grammars and accounts for the variation patterns found in the world's languages. He backs this up with evidence from a wide array of languages. He also considers the profound consequences of this correspondence for explanations of language change and evolution, and for models of performance and acquisition. Hisbook is of fundamental importance for linguistic theory.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

1 Introduction

1.1 Performance-grammar correspondences: a hypothesis

1.2 Predictions of the PGCH

1.3 Efficiency and complexity

1.4 Issues of explanation

1.5 The challenge of multiple preferences

2 Linguistic Forms, Properties, and Efficient Signaling

2.1 Forms and properties

2.2 Property assignments in combinatorial and dependency relations

2.3 Efficiency and complexity in form-property signaling

3 Defining the Efficiency Principles and their Predictions

3.1 Minimize Domains (MiD)

3.2 Minimize Forms (MiF)

3.2.1 The logic of MiF

3.2.2 Form minimization predictions

3.2.3 Maximize the ease of processing enrichments

3.3 Maximize On-line Processing (MaOP)

3.3.1 Unassignments and misassignments

3.3.2 The quantitative metric

3.3.3 Predictions for performance and grammars

4 More on Form Minimization

4.1 Greenberg's markedness hierarchies

4.2 Markedness hierarchies in diachrony

4.2.1 Morphological inventory predictions

4.2.2 Declining distinctions predictions

4.3 Grammaticalization and processing

4.4 The grammaticalization of definiteness marking

4.4.1 Semantic/pragmatic extensions

4.4.2 Syntactic extensions

4.5 Processing enrichments through structural parallelism

4.6 The principle of conventionalized dependency

5 Adjacency Effects Within Phrases

5.1 EIC preferences for adjacency in performance

5.1.1 EIC in head-initial structures

5.1.2 EIC in head-final structures

5.2 Multiple preferences for adjacency in performance

5.2.1 Multiple preferences in English

5.2.2 Multiple preferences in Japanese

5.2.3 Total domain differentials

5.3 EIC preferences for adjacency in grammars

5.3.1 The Greenbergian correlations

5.3.2 Other ordering universals.

5.4 Multiple preferences for adjacency in grammars

5.5 Competitions between domains and phrases

5.5.1 Relative clause extrapositions in German

6 Minimal Forms in Complements/Adjuncts and Proximity

6.1 Minimal formal marking in performance

6.1.1 Wh, that/zero relativizers

6.1.2 Other alternations

6.2 Minimal formal marking in grammars

6.3 Morphological typology and Sapir's 'drift'

7 Relative Clause and Wh-movement Universals

7.1 The grammar and processing of filler-gap dependencies

7.2 The Keenan-Comrie Accessibility Hierarchy

7.2.1 Performance support for the FGD complexity ranking

7.2.2 Grammatical support for the FGD complexity ranking

7.3 Wh-fronting and basic word order

7.4 Other complexity hierarchies

7.4.1 A clause-embedding hierarchy

7.4.2 Reduce additional syntactic processing

7.4.3 Reduce additional semantic processing

7.5 MaOP effects

7.5.1 Fillers First

7.5.2 Relative clause ordering asymmetries

7.5.3 Grammatical conventions that facilitate filler-gap processing

7.6 That-trace in English and processing enrichments in Japanese

8 Symmetries, Asymmetric Dependencies, and Earliness Effects

8.1 Some cross-linguistic generalizations

8.1.1 Symmetries

8.1.2 Asymmetries

8.2 Asymmetric dependencies

8.2.1 Antecedent precedes anaphor

8.2.2 Subjects precede direct objects

8.2.3 Topic to the left of a dependent predication

8.2.4 Restrictive before appositive relatives

8.3 Symmetrical dependencies

8.4 A hypothesis for symmetries and asymmetries

8.5 Morphosyntactic asymmetries

8.6 Processing in relation to antisymmetry in formal grammar

9 Conclusions

9.1 Support for the PGCH

9.2 The performance basis of grammatical generalizations

9.3 The ultimate causality of the performance-grammar preferences

9.4 Some further issues.

9.5 Acquisition and learnability

References

Author Index

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Z

Language Index

I

Subject Index

Z.

Notes:

Series statement from jacket.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [277]-293) and indexes.

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9780191514425

019151442X

9780191719301

0191719307

9780199252688

0199252688

9781429469340

142946934X

9781280846779

1280846771

OCLC:

437108940