The role of arbitrariness from a minimalist point of view
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Manfred Bierwisch✝
Abstract
The problem pursued in this paper concerns the role of Arbitrariness in linguistic expressions. Saussurean Arbitrariness is due to the conventional sound-meaning-relation of linguistic expressions. It is systematically projected (but not reduced) from Lexical Items to linguistic expressions of unrestricted complexity by the operation of Merge. This raises the question, whether this arbitrariness is an incidental byproduct of the systems complexity, which could be avoided under conditions of optimal design. With this perspective, language is compared to mental systems of comparable complexity, but without arbitrariness. Obviously, neither the visual system nor the system of music (which consists like language in auditory signals with combinatorial structure) involves arbitrariness in any sense akin to language. The by no means trivial conclusion is, that due to the conventional nature of symbolic signs, linguistic expressions can correspond to structures of any possible domain, differing thereby especially from iconic signs. The upshot of this conclusion: arbitrariness provides the space, by means of which language allows to talk about anything that can be subject to mental awareness. Arbitrariness does not fall short of optimal design, but rather allows language to be the organ of thought and its expression, which it is.
Abstract
The problem pursued in this paper concerns the role of Arbitrariness in linguistic expressions. Saussurean Arbitrariness is due to the conventional sound-meaning-relation of linguistic expressions. It is systematically projected (but not reduced) from Lexical Items to linguistic expressions of unrestricted complexity by the operation of Merge. This raises the question, whether this arbitrariness is an incidental byproduct of the systems complexity, which could be avoided under conditions of optimal design. With this perspective, language is compared to mental systems of comparable complexity, but without arbitrariness. Obviously, neither the visual system nor the system of music (which consists like language in auditory signals with combinatorial structure) involves arbitrariness in any sense akin to language. The by no means trivial conclusion is, that due to the conventional nature of symbolic signs, linguistic expressions can correspond to structures of any possible domain, differing thereby especially from iconic signs. The upshot of this conclusion: arbitrariness provides the space, by means of which language allows to talk about anything that can be subject to mental awareness. Arbitrariness does not fall short of optimal design, but rather allows language to be the organ of thought and its expression, which it is.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface 1
- List of contributors 5
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I. Minimalism: Quo Vadis?
- A program for the Minimalist Program 9
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II. Exploring features in syntax
- On feature interpretability and inheritance 37
- On the need for formal features in the narrow syntax 56
- Adjunct Control and edge features 79
- On the uninterpretability of interpretable features 109
- The Merge Condition 130
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III. Radicalizing the interfaces
- Chains in Minimalism 169
- Multiattachment syntax, “Movement” effects, and Spell-Out 195
- Flavors of movement 236
- Minimalism and I-Morphology 267
- A minimalist approach to roots 287
- Computations at the interfaces in child grammar 304
- Intensionality, grammar, and the sententialist hypothesis 315
- What is and what is not problematic about the T-model 350
- Regarding the Third Factor 363
- The role of arbitrariness from a minimalist point of view 392
- Index 417
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface 1
- List of contributors 5
-
I. Minimalism: Quo Vadis?
- A program for the Minimalist Program 9
-
II. Exploring features in syntax
- On feature interpretability and inheritance 37
- On the need for formal features in the narrow syntax 56
- Adjunct Control and edge features 79
- On the uninterpretability of interpretable features 109
- The Merge Condition 130
-
III. Radicalizing the interfaces
- Chains in Minimalism 169
- Multiattachment syntax, “Movement” effects, and Spell-Out 195
- Flavors of movement 236
- Minimalism and I-Morphology 267
- A minimalist approach to roots 287
- Computations at the interfaces in child grammar 304
- Intensionality, grammar, and the sententialist hypothesis 315
- What is and what is not problematic about the T-model 350
- Regarding the Third Factor 363
- The role of arbitrariness from a minimalist point of view 392
- Index 417
