Diachronic stability and feature interpretability
-
Phoevos Panagiotidis
Abstract
This contribution examines diachronic change in the Greek nominal phrase.
It proposes an analysis to capture the diachronic stability of certain syntactic
structures in the nominal domain, suggesting that points of stability reflect
macroparametric rather than microparametric choices, which are more
vulnerable to change and loss. Macroparametric choices are assumed to involve
choices pertaining to the presence versus absence in a grammar of functional
categories, while microparametric choices relate to the presence versus absence
of uninterpretable features on otherwise identical functional categories. The
difference in diachronic stability is linked to the generally “defective” status of
uninterpretable features in the human language faculty.
Abstract
This contribution examines diachronic change in the Greek nominal phrase.
It proposes an analysis to capture the diachronic stability of certain syntactic
structures in the nominal domain, suggesting that points of stability reflect
macroparametric rather than microparametric choices, which are more
vulnerable to change and loss. Macroparametric choices are assumed to involve
choices pertaining to the presence versus absence in a grammar of functional
categories, while microparametric choices relate to the presence versus absence
of uninterpretable features on otherwise identical functional categories. The
difference in diachronic stability is linked to the generally “defective” status of
uninterpretable features in the human language faculty.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface & Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
-
I. The locus of (parametric) variation
- Parametric versus functional explanations of syntactic universals 75
- Three fundamental issues in parametric linguistics 109
- On the syntactic flexibility of formal features 143
- Expletives, datives, and the tension between morphology and syntax 175
- Mapping a parochial lexicon onto a universal semantics 219
- Aspect matters in the middle 247
-
II. A classic parameter revisited: the null-subject parameter
- The null subject parameter and correlating properties: The case of Creole languages 271
- The Case-F valuation parameter in Romance 295
- Silent arguments without pro : The case of Basque 311
- Case morphology and radical pro -drop 331
-
III. Parametric clustering
- The macroparameter in a microparametric world 351
- Topic prominence and null subjects 375
- Non-configurationality: Free word order and argument drop in Turkish 411
- Diachronic stability and feature interpretability 441
-
III. The acquisition of parameters
- Can children tell us anything we did not know about parameter clustering? 459
- Parameter setting and input reduction 483
- Index 517
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface & Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
-
I. The locus of (parametric) variation
- Parametric versus functional explanations of syntactic universals 75
- Three fundamental issues in parametric linguistics 109
- On the syntactic flexibility of formal features 143
- Expletives, datives, and the tension between morphology and syntax 175
- Mapping a parochial lexicon onto a universal semantics 219
- Aspect matters in the middle 247
-
II. A classic parameter revisited: the null-subject parameter
- The null subject parameter and correlating properties: The case of Creole languages 271
- The Case-F valuation parameter in Romance 295
- Silent arguments without pro : The case of Basque 311
- Case morphology and radical pro -drop 331
-
III. Parametric clustering
- The macroparameter in a microparametric world 351
- Topic prominence and null subjects 375
- Non-configurationality: Free word order and argument drop in Turkish 411
- Diachronic stability and feature interpretability 441
-
III. The acquisition of parameters
- Can children tell us anything we did not know about parameter clustering? 459
- Parameter setting and input reduction 483
- Index 517
