The Lexicon–Syntax Interface

The present collection offers fresh perspectives on the lexicon-syntax interface, drawing on novel data from South Asian languages like Bangla, Hindi-Urdu, Kashmiri, Kannada, Malayalam, Manipuri, Punjabi, and Telugu. It covers different phenomena like adjectives, nominal phrases, ditransitives, light verbs, middles, passives, causatives, agreement, and pronominal clitics, while trying to settle the theoretical tensions underlying the interaction of the lexicon with the narrow syntactic component. All the chapters critically survey previous analyses in detail, suggesting how these may or may not be extended to South Asian languages. Novel explanations are proposed, which handle not only the novel data presented here, but also pave alternative ways to look at issues of minimalist architecture.

K A. Jayaseelan, The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad:
This volume of collected papers focuses on the lexicon-syntax interface of the languages of South Asia, which offer a relatively less explored, but rich and variegated, range of linguistic phenomena. The discussion of data ranges from the Dravidian languages of southern India to Kashmiri in the north, Kutchi Gujarati in the west and Manipuri in the east. The theoretical results that the papers come up with are very important for general linguistic theory and for our evolving understanding of the nature of Language.