Linguistic Variation Yearbook 2004

by Pierre Pica

The Linguistic Variation Yearbook is exclusively devoted to the study of the nature and scope of linguistic variation from the point of view of the minimalist program. In this perspective, the yearbook aims at going beyond the traditional tension between explanatory and descriptive adequacy. It seeks in particular to investigate to what extent the study of linguistic variation can shed light on the broader issue of language particular vs. language universal properties and design. The Linguistic Variation Yearbook publishes annually a collection of (invited) articles on a theme that is current in and important to the research on linguistic variation within the generative framework. The focus is on comparative studies, such as research on typology and dialect variation.

306 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2005

About the author

Pierre Pica (born January 5, 1951), is a research associate (Chargé de Recherche) at the National Center for Scientific Research in Paris. Associated Professor with the Brain Institute of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, he is a specialist in theoretical linguistics and more specifically of comparative syntax.

Dr. Pica has concentrated his research on the notion of parameters in linguistic. He has also shown that the respective properties of reflexive pronouns could be derived from their morphological properties. He is currently studying the distinction between the internal and external aspects of the Faculty of language and is also working on a fine grained distinction between competence and performance.

Over the last twenty years, Pica has risen to prominence as a result of his work on Binding Theory [1] and evidentiality. More recently he has been working on Mundurucu (an indigenous language spoken in Para (Brazil). He is currently collaborating with Stanislas Dehaene and Elizabeth Spelke in a study of numerical expressions and enumeration in Mundurucu.