A Performance Theory of Order and Constituency (Cambridge Studies in Linguistics, Series Number 73) - Hardcover

Hawkins, John A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521372615 ISBN 13: 9780521372619

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1995

Synopsis

In this major new book John A. Hawkins presents a new theory of linear ordering in syntax. He argues that processing can provide a simple, functional explanation for syntactic rules of ordering, as well as for the selection among ordering variants in languages and structures in which variation is possible. Insights from generative syntax, typological studies of language universals, and psycholinguistic studies of language processing are combined to show that there is a profound correspondence between performance and grammar. The major ordering principle proposed, Early Immediate Constituents, is tested on performance data from ten distinct languages. The result is a unified theory of free and fixed word orders, in which ordering is driven by efficient structure recognition. This major work will be welcomed by a wide cross-section of readers in syntax, language typology, psycholinguistics, and cognitive science.

About this title

Book Description

Combining insights from generative syntax, typological studies of language universals, and psycholinguistic studies of language processing, John A. Hawkins here argues that grammars are profoundly shaped by processing.

From the Back Cover

This is the first book to systematically investigate the processing basis of syntactic rules and of cross-linguistic regularities. Other areas of syntax that are discussed include universals of relative clause formation and the head of phrase generalization.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521372615
• ISBN 13: 9780521372619
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 516