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Theory and experiment in parametric minimalism

The case of Romance negation
  • Giuseppe Longobardi
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Language Description Informed by Theory
Ein Kapitel aus dem Buch Language Description Informed by Theory

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.

Kapitel in diesem Buch

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Map of Australian languages refferred to in this book vii
  4. List of contributors xi
  5. Editors’ introduction 1
  6. Bibliography of Mary Laughren 15
  7. Evaluating the Bilingual Education Program in Warlpiri schools 25
  8. Part 1. Phonology
  9. Phonological aspects of Arandic baby talk 49
  10. Prestopping of nasals and laterals is only partly parallel 81
  11. Part 2. Morphology
  12. Liminal pronoun systems 99
  13. Verbs as spatial deixis markers in Jingulu 123
  14. The reconstruction of inflectional classes in morphology 153
  15. Part 3. Syntax
  16. Marking Definiteness or Specificity, not necessarily both 193
  17. Theory and experiment in parametric minimalism 217
  18. Serial verbs in Wambaya 263
  19. Nominals as adjuncts or arguments 283
  20. Part 4. Semantics
  21. The case of the invisible postman 319
  22. Manner and result 337
  23. Part 5. Anthropological Linguistics
  24. Shifting relations 361
  25. Language index 383
  26. Subject index 385
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.147.10lon

Kapitel in diesem Buch

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Map of Australian languages refferred to in this book vii
  4. List of contributors xi
  5. Editors’ introduction 1
  6. Bibliography of Mary Laughren 15
  7. Evaluating the Bilingual Education Program in Warlpiri schools 25
  8. Part 1. Phonology
  9. Phonological aspects of Arandic baby talk 49
  10. Prestopping of nasals and laterals is only partly parallel 81
  11. Part 2. Morphology
  12. Liminal pronoun systems 99
  13. Verbs as spatial deixis markers in Jingulu 123
  14. The reconstruction of inflectional classes in morphology 153
  15. Part 3. Syntax
  16. Marking Definiteness or Specificity, not necessarily both 193
  17. Theory and experiment in parametric minimalism 217
  18. Serial verbs in Wambaya 263
  19. Nominals as adjuncts or arguments 283
  20. Part 4. Semantics
  21. The case of the invisible postman 319
  22. Manner and result 337
  23. Part 5. Anthropological Linguistics
  24. Shifting relations 361
  25. Language index 383
  26. Subject index 385
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Heruntergeladen am 29.12.2025 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1075/slcs.147.10lon/html?lang=de
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