Theory and experiment in parametric minimalism
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Giuseppe Longobardi
Abstract
This chapter examines the syntax and semantics of negative elements across Romance languages and proposes that there are three basic parameters that are encoded in the morphemes used to express sentential negation and negative determiners. These parameters define whether simple negation occurs pre- or post-inflection, whether the negation morpheme has a substantive meaning (e.g. Spanish no, Italian non, French pas) or expletive (e.g. French ne) value or else is ambiguous between the two (e.g. Catalan no), and finally whether negative phrases are ambiguous between “negative operator” and “polarity item” status. The proposal stresses typological implications between having post-inflection negation and post-inflection negative phrases that do not require co-occurrence with a sentential negation. It also tries to explain long puzzling cross-linguistic differences in locality constraints on negative dependencies. The theoretical focus of the work is on exploring how minimalist research on syntactic diversity should be conducted and in which formats its results could be formulated in a rigorous explanatory way.
Abstract
This chapter examines the syntax and semantics of negative elements across Romance languages and proposes that there are three basic parameters that are encoded in the morphemes used to express sentential negation and negative determiners. These parameters define whether simple negation occurs pre- or post-inflection, whether the negation morpheme has a substantive meaning (e.g. Spanish no, Italian non, French pas) or expletive (e.g. French ne) value or else is ambiguous between the two (e.g. Catalan no), and finally whether negative phrases are ambiguous between “negative operator” and “polarity item” status. The proposal stresses typological implications between having post-inflection negation and post-inflection negative phrases that do not require co-occurrence with a sentential negation. It also tries to explain long puzzling cross-linguistic differences in locality constraints on negative dependencies. The theoretical focus of the work is on exploring how minimalist research on syntactic diversity should be conducted and in which formats its results could be formulated in a rigorous explanatory way.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Map of Australian languages refferred to in this book vii
- List of contributors xi
- Editors’ introduction 1
- Bibliography of Mary Laughren 15
- Evaluating the Bilingual Education Program in Warlpiri schools 25
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Part 1. Phonology
- Phonological aspects of Arandic baby talk 49
- Prestopping of nasals and laterals is only partly parallel 81
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Part 2. Morphology
- Liminal pronoun systems 99
- Verbs as spatial deixis markers in Jingulu 123
- The reconstruction of inflectional classes in morphology 153
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Part 3. Syntax
- Marking Definiteness or Specificity, not necessarily both 193
- Theory and experiment in parametric minimalism 217
- Serial verbs in Wambaya 263
- Nominals as adjuncts or arguments 283
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Part 4. Semantics
- The case of the invisible postman 319
- Manner and result 337
-
Part 5. Anthropological Linguistics
- Shifting relations 361
- Language index 383
- Subject index 385
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Map of Australian languages refferred to in this book vii
- List of contributors xi
- Editors’ introduction 1
- Bibliography of Mary Laughren 15
- Evaluating the Bilingual Education Program in Warlpiri schools 25
-
Part 1. Phonology
- Phonological aspects of Arandic baby talk 49
- Prestopping of nasals and laterals is only partly parallel 81
-
Part 2. Morphology
- Liminal pronoun systems 99
- Verbs as spatial deixis markers in Jingulu 123
- The reconstruction of inflectional classes in morphology 153
-
Part 3. Syntax
- Marking Definiteness or Specificity, not necessarily both 193
- Theory and experiment in parametric minimalism 217
- Serial verbs in Wambaya 263
- Nominals as adjuncts or arguments 283
-
Part 4. Semantics
- The case of the invisible postman 319
- Manner and result 337
-
Part 5. Anthropological Linguistics
- Shifting relations 361
- Language index 383
- Subject index 385
