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UNDERSTANDING MINIMALISM

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UNDERSTANDING MINIMALISM

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    1. UNDERSTANDING MINIMALISM ENG 235: MASOE Kleanthes K. Grohmann University of Cyprus kleanthi@ucy.ac.cy

    2. UNDERSTANDING MINIMALISM ENG 235: MASOE Kleanthes K. Grohmann University of Cyprus kleanthi@ucy.ac.cy

    3. FUNDAMENTALS ENG 235: Morphology and Syntax of English Tuesdays & Fridays 15.00–16.30 (room A 112) Understanding Minimalism an introductory syntax course by Kleanthes K. Grohmann kleanthi@ucy.ac.cy www.punksinscience.org/kleanthes www.punksinscience.org/kleanthes/courses/MASOE

    4. BLOCK 1: MINIMALISM BLOCK 1: Minimalism BLOCK 2: Architecture BLOCK 3: Theta BLOCK 4: Case BLOCK 5: Minimality BLOCK 6: Structure BLOCK 7: Linearization BLOCK 8: Binding BLOCK 9: Features BLOCK 10: Phases This course will more or less follow HNG: [Hornstein, Nunes & Grohmann (2005) Understanding Minimalism, CUP.]

    5. LANGUAGE

    6. LANGUAGE Basic explanandum in theoretical linguistics: “Plato’s problem” (Chomsky 1986)

    7. LANGUAGE Basic explanandum in theoretical linguistics: “Plato’s problem” (Chomsky 1986) Hornstein & Lightfoot (1981): UG principles can be viewed as general conditions on grammars (i.e. above: G1, … Gn = GL ) with open parameters whose values are set on the basis of one’s linguistic experience ? acquiring a natural language amounts to assigning values to these open parameters

    8. LANGUAGE Two notes on the acquisition process: ? The acquisition process is sensitive to the details of the linguistic/environmental input (since PLD provides the specific information on the basis of which parameter values are fixed).

    9. LANGUAGE Two notes on the acquisition process: ? The acquisition process is sensitive to the details of the linguistic/environmental input (since PLD provides the specific information on the basis of which parameter values are fixed). ? The shape of the knowledge attained is not restricted to whatever information can be garnered from PLD (cf. rich backdrop of fixed general principles that UG makes available).

    10. LANGUAGE The goal of the minimalist program: A speaker’s linguistic capacities are a joint function of the environmental input and the principles of UG and even though these principles can be quite complex, they need not be learned as they form part of the innately endowed language faculty.  

    11. LANGUAGE The goal of the minimalist program: A speaker’s linguistic capacities are a joint function of the environmental input and the principles of UG and even though these principles can be quite complex, they need not be learned as they form part of the innately endowed language faculty.   This is the essence of a(ny) P&P-approach to human language. However, in order to develop a theory of language, other criteria play a role too, such as simplicity, elegance, and naturalness. ? the Minimalist Program is the concrete application of such criteria to an explanatory analysis of UG

    12. LANGUAGE Six “big facts” (recurring theme)

    13. LANGUAGE Six “big facts” (recurring theme) F1: Sentences are basic linguistic units.

    14. LANGUAGE Six “big facts” (recurring theme) F1: Sentences are basic linguistic units. F2: Sentences are pairings of form (sound/signs) and meaning.

    15. LANGUAGE Six “big facts” (recurring theme) F1: Sentences are basic linguistic units. F2: Sentences are pairings of form (sound/signs) and meaning. F3: Sentences are composed of smaller expressions (words and morphemes).

    16. LANGUAGE Six “big facts” (recurring theme) F1: Sentences are basic linguistic units. F2: Sentences are pairings of form (sound/signs) and meaning. F3: Sentences are composed of smaller expressions (words and morphemes). F4: These smaller units are composed into units with hierarchical structure, i.e. phrases, larger than words and smaller than sentences.

    17. LANGUAGE Six “big facts” (recurring theme) F1: Sentences are basic linguistic units. F2: Sentences are pairings of form (sound/signs) and meaning. F3: Sentences are composed of smaller expressions (words and morphemes). F4: These smaller units are composed into units with hierarchical structure, i.e. phrases, larger than words and smaller than sentences. F5: Sentences show displacement properties in the sense that expressions that appear in one position can be interpreted in another.

    18. LANGUAGE Six “big facts” (recurring theme) F1: Sentences are basic linguistic units. F2: Sentences are pairings of form (sound/signs) and meaning. F3: Sentences are composed of smaller expressions (words and morphemes). F4: These smaller units are composed into units with hierarchical structure, i.e. phrases, larger than words and smaller than sentences. F5: Sentences show displacement properties in the sense that expressions that appear in one position can be interpreted in another. F6: Language is recursive, that is, there’s no upper bound on the length of sentences in any given natural language.

    19. LINGUISTICS Government-and-Binding Theory (GB) (A) modularity (grammatical modules assumed within GB and their interaction) (B) teleocity (how to create linguistic expres- sions from the lexicon to output)

    20. LINGUISTICS Government-and-Binding Theory (GB) (A) modularity (grammatical modules assumed within GB and their interaction) (B) teleocity (how to create linguistic expres- sions from the lexicon to output) Minimalist Program (MP) (A) methodological economy (Occam’s razor-like: “more is worse, fewer is better”) (B) substantive economy (least effort notions: natural sources for grammatical principles)

    21. LINGUISTICS Let’s assume that the language faculty FL comprises • a lexicon LEX and • a computational system CHL

    22. LINGUISTICS Let’s assume that the language faculty FL comprises • a lexicon LEX and • a computational system CHL – which creates a derivation D

    23. LINGUISTICS Let’s assume that the language faculty FL comprises • a lexicon LEX and • a computational system CHL – which creates a derivation D – which then creates the two levels of representation LF and PF

    24. LINGUISTICS Let’s assume that the language faculty FL comprises • a lexicon LEX and • a computational system CHL – which creates a derivation D – which then creates the two levels of representation LF and PF that in turn feed the performance systems, • the sensorimotor system (SM) and • the conceptual-intentional system (C-I). (We will fill in a lot of blanks in subsequent classes.)

    25. LINGUISTICS So, one role of linguists is then to develop a theory • that accounts for language vis-ŕ-vis “Big Facts” F1–6 and • that integrates the computational model sketched. (Or something very close to it…)

    26. LINGUISTICS The derivation D: ? a derivation is taken to converge iff it converges at both LF and PF

    27. LINGUISTICS Thus, if D is the set of permissible derivations that yield a pair (p, ?), the set of convergent derivations C is the subset of D whose members satisfy Full Interpretation at LF and PF. That is, the set of legible syntactic objects is a subset of the set of all combinations that the grammar can construct. Considerations of derivational economy (which is also part of substantive economy considerations) in turn select derivations where legible pairs (p, ?) are built in an optimal way. In other words: The set of admissible derivations A constitutes the subset of C that is selected by optimality considerations.

    28. LINGUISTICS Subset relationship among derivations

    29. FROM GB… Government (rough working definition) An element a governs an element ß iff (i) a c-commands ß and (ii) a is a governor.

    30. FROM GB… Government (rough working definition) An element a governs an element ß iff (i) a c-commands ß and (ii) a is a governor. Binding (rough working definition) An element a binds an element ß iff a c-commands ß.

    31. …TO MP Operations combination (Merge / External Merge) displacement (Move / Internal Merge) transfer (PF: Spell-Out & LF: Interpret)

    32. …TO MP Operations combination (Merge / External Merge) displacement (Move / Internal Merge) transfer (PF: Spell-Out & LF: Interpret) Conditions grammatical licensing mechanism (e.g.: Spec-Head — Checking Theory — Agree) economy (such as Shortest Move/Attract, Fewest Steps, Minimal Link Condition…)

    33. FROM GB TO MP Understanding Minimalism HNG (ontological roots in GB/P&P) Different approaches / textbooks Core Syntax (D. Adger, OUP, 2003 / 20092) A Course in Minimalist Syntax (H. Lasnik & J. Uriagereka with C. Boeckx, Blackwell, 2005) Linguistic Minimalism (C. Boeckx, OUP, 2006)

    34. THE PYRAMID

    35. (INVERTED) T- OR Y-MODEL LEX Spell-Out LF PF

    36. FROM PYRAMID TO Y-MODEL LEX DS SS LF PF

    37. FROM PYRAMID TO Y-MODEL LEX DS SS LF PF

    38. NEXT TIME We’ll deal with the architecture of the grammar: the pyramid and its properties (GB) the Y-model and its properties (MP) Specifically, we will look at the GB-apparatus, see why it was justified within this particular theory, and how it can be minimalistified for an improved theoretical approach to capturing language.

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