
Modern Syntax
A Coursebook
Andrew Carnie(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 13. January 2011
Book
Hardback
370 pages
978-0-521-86335-3 (ISBN)
Description
This practical coursebook introduces all the basics of modern syntactic analysis in a simple step-by-step fashion. Each unit is constructed so that the reader discovers new ideas, formulates hypotheses and practises fundamentals. The reader is presented with short sections of explanation with examples, followed by practice exercises. Feedback and comment sections follow to enable students to monitor their progress. No previous background in syntax is assumed. Students move through all the key topics in the field including features, rules of combination and displacement, empty categories, and subcategorization. The theoretical perspective in this work is unique, drawing together the best ideas from three major syntactic frameworks (minimalism, HPSG and LFG). Students using this book will learn fundamentals in such a way that they can easily go on to pursue further study in any of these frameworks.
Reviews / Votes
'An ideal point of entry into the complex and challenging science of natural language syntax. Highly recommended.' Cedric Boeckx, ICREA and Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona 'This is a daring introduction into syntax. Rather than telling students what syntactic theory looks like, it makes them do syntax. Rather than presenting them with a standard framework, it provides students with the tools and knowledge to pursue any of the major theories. This is a friendly and experienced guide to the rough terrain and breathtaking vistas of modern syntactic theory.' Ad Neeleman, Professor of Linguistics, University College LondonMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 250 mm
Width: 175 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
820 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-86335-3 (9780521863353)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
05/2011
1st Edition
Cambridge University Press
€33.99
Available for download

Book
01/2011
Cambridge University Press
€55.00
Article not available at the moment
Person
Andrew Carnie is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Arizona, where he teaches syntactic theory and Celtic linguistics. His previous publications include Constituent Structure, Second Edition (2010), Irish Nouns (2008) and Syntax: A Generative Introduction, Second Edition (2006).
Content
Part I. Basic Ideas in Syntax: 1. Defining syntax; 2. Syntactic data; 3. Hypotheses: rules; Part II. Categories and Subcategories: 4. Words and lexical categories; 5. Functional categories; 6. Pronouns; 7. Other subcategories of nouns; 8. Subcategories of verbs; 9. Tangent: tense, aspect and mood; 10. Auxiliaries; Part III. Constituents, Merge and Trees: 11. Constituency; 12. Complements; 13. Complements: a case study; 14. Specifiers of VP and TP; 15. Specifiers of NP and DP; 16. Tagging; 17. Adjuncts; 18. Drawing trees; Part IV. Movement and Control: 19. Passives; 20. Non-finite clauses 1: control constructions; 21. Non-finite clauses 1: raising constructions; 22. Head movement 1: auxiliaries; 23. Head movement 2: main verbs; 24. Wh-movement; Part V. Conclusions and Appendices: 25. Evaluating our progress; 26. The next steps; Appendix 1. Glossary, symbols and abbreviations; Appendix 2. Features and their values; Appendix 3. Rules, constraints and principles.