The Derivation of Anaphoric Relations

The Derivation of Anaphoric Relations resolves a conspicuous problem for Minimalist theory, the apparently representational nature of the binding conditions. Hicks adduces a broad variety of evidence against the binding conditions applying at LF and builds upon the insights of recent proposals by Hornstein, Kayne, and Reuland by reducing them to the core narrow-syntactic operations (specifically, Agree and Merge). Several novel and independently motivated claims about syntactic features and phases are made, not only explaining the previously stipulated roles played by c-command, reference, and locality, but furnishing the dervational binding theory with sufficient flexibility to capture some long-problematic empirical phenomena: These include connectivity effects, ‘picture-noun’ reflexives in English, and anaphor/pronoun non-complementarity. Specific proposals are also made for extending the derivational approach to accommodate structured crosslinguistic variation in binding, with thorough expositions and analyses of the Dutch, Norwegian, and Icelandic pronominal systems.

Phoevos Panagiotidis, University of Cyprus, in Journal of Linguistics 46 (2010):
I will nail my colours on the mast from the outset: this is a most remarkable book in a number of respects ; it is careful, it is exhaustive, it is bold, and it combines theoretical vision with descriptive e´lan. Glyn Hicks succeeds to a large extent in recasting Principles A and B of the Binding Theory (Chomsky 1981) in Minimalist terms (Chomsky 2001). However, the volume under review is considerably more than an exercise in adapting to changing notations or, even, shifting viewpoints : it is a fine example of how rigor in theory may open the way to broader empirical coverage in generative linguistics, contrary to what may occasionally be assumed.