Syntactic Analysis

In syntactic analysis, as in linguistics generally, the skills required to first identify, and then make sense of, complex patterns in linguistic data involve a certain specific kind of reasoning, where various alternatives are entertained and modified in light of progressively broader empirical coverage. Rather than focus on transmitting the details of complex theoretical superstructures, this textbook takes a practical, analytical approach, starting from a small set of powerful analytic tools, applied first to simple phenomena and then to the passive, complement and raising/control constructions. The analytic tools are then applied to unbounded dependencies, via detailed argumentation. What emerges is that syntactic structure, and intricate networks of dependencies linking different parts of those structures, are straightforward projections of lexical valence, in tandem with very general rules regulating the sharing of feature values. Featuring integrated exercises and problems throughout each chapter, this book equips students with the analytical tools for recognizing and assessing linguistic patterns.

• Shows the student how and why we reach particular analyses, as well as providing the details
• Puts practical analysis at the forefront, rather than presenting the student with large amounts of theoretical detail from the outset, providing students with a toolkit for recognizing and assessing linguistic patterns
• Uses a simple, fundamental concept - lexical valence - to account for a variety of syntactic dependencies typically analyzed by a variety of complex, syntactic mechanisms
• Exercises and problems are integrated throughout each chapter, allowing students to master complex and technical concepts as they encounter them