Derivations in Minimalism (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780521811804)

This pathbreaking study presents a new perspective on the role of derivation, the series of operations by which sentences are formed. Working within the Minimalist Program and focusing on English, the authors develop an original theory of generative syntax, providing illuminating new analyses of some central syntactic constructions. Two key questions are explored: first, can the Extended Projection Principle (EPP) be eliminated from Minimalist analysis without loss, and perhaps with a gain in empirical coverage; and second, is the construct 'A-Chain' similarly eliminable? The authors argue that neither EPP nor the A-chain is in fact a property of Universal Grammar, but rather their descriptive content can be deduced from independently motivated properties of lexical items, in accordance with overarching principles governing derivation. In investigating these questions, a range of new data is introduced, and existing data re-analyzed, presenting a pioneering challenge to fundamental assumptions in syntactic theory.

Author: Samuel David Epstein,T. Daniel Seely
ISBN-10: 0521811805
ISBN-13: 9780521811804
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 03/13/2006
Pages: 236
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.14lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.69d