Syntax 2 Flashcards
(8 cards)
Descriptive systems of morphosyntax
Four prototypes (isolating, agglutinating, inflectional, polysynthetic)
Two poles (analytic, synthetic)
What is universal grammar?
theory that humans possess innate faculties related to the acquisition of language
modular grammar meaning
theory that proposes that a language’s grammar is composed of distinct, interacting modules rather than a single, monolithic system
Aspects in which the approaches to grammar differ
- formal vs. functional
- modular vs. non-modular
- relevance of meaning (role of semantics)
- generative or not (grammaticality, predictability)
- cognitive reality of ‘rules’ / ‘principles’
- relevance of (linguistic) co(n)text
What are principles and parameters in
Principles: rules that apply to all human languages
Parameters: language-specific settings
Some parameters
Null subject
Head directionality
Wh movement
Mandatory elements of a phrase
Head, specifier, complement