Leonie Cornips and Karen P. Corrigan (eds.), Syntax and variation: reconciling the biological and the social. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 2005. Pp. vi+309

• Published in: English Language and Linguistics Vol. 11; no. 2; pp. 425 - 435
• Main Author: Parrott, Jeffrey K.
• Format: Book Review Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.07.2007
• Subjects: Reviews; Syntax
• ISSN: 1360-6743; 1469-4379
• DOI: 10.1017/S1360674307002316

According to Cornips & Corrigan, Henrys method is unique because the bulk of her intuitive data is collected from long term discussions of acceptability judgments with individual native speakers. [...]Gervain & Zempln demonstrate how renements of data-collection and analysis methods make it possible to move toward consensus on the status of linguistic phenomena, a prerequisite for scientic theory testing. [...]I think that the editors and contributors to this otherwise ne volume have overlooked a very important but rarely discussed issue: exactly what kind of empirical phenomena are being referred to with the ubiquitous moniker of variation? [...]despite the above criticisms, this vital collection launches a badly needed venture into largely uncharted linguistic terrain.