Diachronic Clues to Synchronic Grammar

This volume emphasizes a new line of thinking in generative grammar which acknowledges that certain synchronic properties of languages can only be fully understood if diachronic data is taken into consideration. The central topics addressed in this collection of papers are (1) a critical assessment...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors Fuß, Eric, Trips, Carola
Format eBook
LanguageEnglish
Published Netherlands John Benjamins Publishing Company 2004
John Benjamins
Edition1
SeriesLinguistik Artuell/Linguistics Today S
Subjects
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

Loading…
More Information
Summary:This volume emphasizes a new line of thinking in generative grammar which acknowledges that certain synchronic properties of languages can only be fully understood if diachronic data is taken into consideration. The central topics addressed in this collection of papers are (1) a critical assessment of the hypothesis that certain apparently synchronic generalizations are actually the result of the mechanisms of language change, (2) an inquiry into how diachronic data can be used to evaluate and shape formal analyses of particular synchronic phenomena. Reviving the interest in diachronic explanations for synchronic data, the contributions provide novel and original diachronic accounts of phenomena that up to now have escaped a deeper synchronic explanation, including the nature of EPP features, gaps in the distribution of complementizer agreement, and counterexamples to the generalization that rich verbal inflection correlates with verb movement.
ISBN:9789027295200
9027295204
9027227969
9789027227966