Core Syntax: A Minimalist Approach

Oxford Core Linguistics

by David Adger

This is an introduction to the structure of sentences in human languages. It assumes no prior knowledge of linguistic theory and little of elementary grammar. It will suit students coming to syntactic theory for the first time either as graduates or undergraduates. It will also be useful for those in fields such as computational science, artificial intelligence, or cognitive psychology who need a sound knowledge of current syntactic theory.

Genres: Linguistics, Nonfiction, Language, Textbooks

407 pages, Paperback

Published May 29, 2003

Reviews

[Mikhael Hayes]

Some stuff tracks. Some doesn’t. Adger makes a lot of stuff clear/accessible on the surface, but enough poking around will probably reveal minimalism isn’t enough to model language adequately.

[Verena]

This book was taught to me in my undergraduate linguistics class and as far as my interest in syntax goes it was way to much to even comprehend. I can only tell from my experience but it is definitely not suited for beginners in this field of studies. There are a lot of examples from sometimes rather exotic languages and the variety of contradictions was confusing. At least it contains summaries of every chapter to convey the general ideas. If studied in detail and with due diligence, the book can really give an extensive amount of information about the minimalist approach.

[Achraf Ismaili]

While reading the first three chapters of the book, I disagreed with the majority of reviews that said the book is not for beginners. However, from chapter four on, I can really see where this comes from. In addition, the author presents rather new ways to look at things, such as the position of adjuncts and the shaping of x-bar structure for instance. However, the book is rich though it sometimes goes against the stream and leaves loose ends. But, definitely, it is not for beginners.

[Othman]

This is actually a textbook. it's good. it explains syntax under minimalism

[Ray]

This book might be too ambitious for most people: it tries to teach the basics of syntax and theory-building all at once, and it wasn't entirely successful with either. Adger does not always explain concepts adequately or clearly, and I found it much more difficult to learn the material without a professor to explain exactly what was going on.

[soph]

Including this because I genuinely did read it cover to cover for my module. not the most accessible textbook for a beginners syntax module but Adger does do a good job at making certain points really explicit and easy to digest, it's just a shame that isn't consistent across each chapter and some parts get a bit unclear.

[Maryam]

کامل و روشن

[recht]

Made me cry.

[Ash]

There is a general theme for linguistics tracts on library cataloguing sites and book-related social media: bad reviews unless it's pop-science drivel full of bad takes, and worse reviews if it mentions syntax. (And isn't the absolute PoS that is The Language Instinct, for some reason.)

While Adger might be too ambitious for his own good in this - it is challenging at points without help for beginners -, and I might be inclined in other directions to his views theoretically, this book is excellent. Any undergrad who paid attention in syntax 101 should be able to help you when you are stuck.

[André]

I really dislike Syntax and this book didn't change my attitude. It wasn't that badly written, but I don't think it was particularly easy either... I'd also like to add that I own this book as a copy, not as the book itself.

[People say my name should be Jeff]

Great intro to Minimalism.

[Nathan Glenn]

Great content, but easy to get lost. This will definitely require 3-10 reads to be well understood by me.

[L.D.]

A little harder of read for just a simple review, however I found it interesting and helpful.

[Litborne]

Good book to start learning about generative grammar. Only for starters; not professionals.