Concealed reference-set computation
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Thomas Graf
Abstract
It has been conjectured that all properties of language beyond recursion can be motivated by interface requirements. One component in this setup is the parser, which is thought to give rise to a preference for computational parsimony. I discuss a mathematical result on reference-set computation, an (allegedly) nonparsimonious piece of machinery, that challenges this assumption and suggests that syntax can sometimes “trick” the parser in order to escape its demands. If reference-set constraints are construed as so-called tree transducers, they do not increase the power of the syntactic machinery. This in turn entails that they can be expressed purely in terms of the Minimalist feature calculus regulating Merge and Move, so it cannot be ruled out that syntax employs reference-set constraints, whereas the parser operates on their less demanding equivalents. In order to demonstrate the viability of this approach for the kind of reference-set constraints found in the literature, I give an implementation of Merge-over-Move. Keywords: Transderivationality; Merge-over-Move; Minimalist grammars; tree transducers
Abstract
It has been conjectured that all properties of language beyond recursion can be motivated by interface requirements. One component in this setup is the parser, which is thought to give rise to a preference for computational parsimony. I discuss a mathematical result on reference-set computation, an (allegedly) nonparsimonious piece of machinery, that challenges this assumption and suggests that syntax can sometimes “trick” the parser in order to escape its demands. If reference-set constraints are construed as so-called tree transducers, they do not increase the power of the syntactic machinery. This in turn entails that they can be expressed purely in terms of the Minimalist feature calculus regulating Merge and Move, so it cannot be ruled out that syntax employs reference-set constraints, whereas the parser operates on their less demanding equivalents. In order to demonstrate the viability of this approach for the kind of reference-set constraints found in the literature, I give an implementation of Merge-over-Move. Keywords: Transderivationality; Merge-over-Move; Minimalist grammars; tree transducers
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Interfaces in a biolinguistic perspective 1
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Part I. Syntax, semantics
- Single cycle syntax and a constraint on quantifier lowering 13
- A constraint on remnant movement 31
- Language and conceptual reanalysis 57
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Part II. Features and interfaces
- Decomposing force 89
- Function without content 117
- The association of sound with meaning 141
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Part III. Phonology, syntax
- Towards a bottom-up approach to phonological typology 169
- The emergence of phonological forms 193
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Part IV. Language development
- Non-native acquisition and language design 217
- Interface ingredients of dialect design 239
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Part V. Experimental studies
- What sign languages show 265
- Indeterminacy and coercion effects 277
- Computation with doubling constituents 303
- Concealed reference-set computation 339
- Index 363
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Interfaces in a biolinguistic perspective 1
-
Part I. Syntax, semantics
- Single cycle syntax and a constraint on quantifier lowering 13
- A constraint on remnant movement 31
- Language and conceptual reanalysis 57
-
Part II. Features and interfaces
- Decomposing force 89
- Function without content 117
- The association of sound with meaning 141
-
Part III. Phonology, syntax
- Towards a bottom-up approach to phonological typology 169
- The emergence of phonological forms 193
-
Part IV. Language development
- Non-native acquisition and language design 217
- Interface ingredients of dialect design 239
-
Part V. Experimental studies
- What sign languages show 265
- Indeterminacy and coercion effects 277
- Computation with doubling constituents 303
- Concealed reference-set computation 339
- Index 363
