JOAN BRESNAN and LOUISA SADLER Department of Linguistics, Stanford University and Department of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex Morphology appears to interact with syntax dynamically. Typologically,
richer morphology is associated with weaker syntactic word order
restrictions and reduction of hierarchical syntactic structure
(witness the nonconfigurationality of Australian languages). Under
historical language change, syntactic constituents often cross
the syntax-morphology boundary to become morphologically bound,
while preserving their interactions with other syntactic constituents
(as in cliticization). Synchronically, words may preempt or block
syntactic phrases, and conversely. Most contemporary lexicalist theories of syntax encapsulate word
structure and phrase structure to such an extent that explaining
these dynamic interactions is difficult. However, the architecture
of LFG is distinctive in postulating a strict separation of morphology
from syntax ONLY in the structural domain, while allowing both
words and hierarchical phrases to have functions of the same types
(represented by complex feature structures). This provides a useful
formal tool for investigating dynamic linguistic interactions
between morphology and syntax within a well-defined feature-logic
based theory. We will use this framework to model several types
of dynamic morphosyntactic interactions in a number of languages,
developing ideas from morphological blocking theory, economy principles,
and optimality theory.
Language
MODELLING DYNAMIC INTERACTIONS BETWEEN MORPHOLOGY AND SYNTAX
Advanced course
Second week
bresnan@csli.stanford.edu and louisa@essex.ac.uk
Course description
Prerequisites
Prerequisites include some familiarity with lexicalist, feature-logic
based syntactic theories (LFG, HPSG).
Literature
No specific recommendation