Discontinuous Constituency

by Almerindo E Ojeda (Editor), Almerindo E. Ojeda (Editor)

Syntax and Discontinuous Constituency is a collection of papers that discusses the role of discontinuous constituency in grammar. One paper proposes a program which combines the key ideas of the categorial theory of grammatical relations with a phrase structure view of syntax. The program provides a direct account of English verb-participle constructions, of extraposed relatives, and of the peculiar distribution of particles in English. Another paper shows that, given certain plausible assumptions about the type of grammar which children are predisposed to acquire, exposure to free word order triggers the postulation of discontinuous constituents. The paper also cites evidence involving the interpretation of reflexive pronouns and quantifiers in Korean grammar that make use of such discontinuous constituents. One paper tackles some issues surrounding the treatment of discontinuity and multidominance in the Generalized Phrase Structure Grammar (GPSG) framework. The task is accomplished through a "phrase marker" a discontinuity and multidominance as ingredients of linguistic description, and a GPSG framework extension. Another paper analyzes extraposition and variations in surface order among syntactic constituents in English. The collection can prove valuable for linguists, students, and academician involved with semantics, syntax, and the philosophy of language.

468 pages, Hardcover

First published April 28, 1987