Syntactic analysis: The basics

Syntactic analysis: The basics. By Nicholas Sobin. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Pp. 192. ISBN 9781444335071. $31.95.

Reviewed by Peter Tunstall, Saginaw, MI

A ‘brief introduction to modern generative syntax in the Chomskyan tradition’ (2), this book aims to ‘introduce terms and concepts basic to the study of human language, and especially syntax’ and to ‘explore the operational details of particular hypotheses/theories of syntactic structure’ with an ‘emphasis on argumentation and hypothesis-testing’ (11). It succeeds admirably.

Ch. 1 sets the tone with a discussion of the scientific method and some remarks on language acquisition. The history of modern syntactic theory is very briefly summarized. In Ch. 2, traditional grammatical categories are subjected to empirical scrutiny and found wanting. Here we also find a discussion of how morphemes combine to form words. Chs. 3 and 4 introduce phrase structure grammar. Ch. 5 relates syntax to semantics with sections on grammatical function, theta roles, and argument structure. Ch. 6 begins the process of generalization from the category-specific rules described so far to a category-neutral system. Pronoun reference is dealt with in Ch. 7, which includes such important concepts as c-command and binding. Ch. 8 brings in transformational rules to explain complex verb forms. The relation between deep and surface structure is further explored in Chs. 9 and 10, where X-bar theory is at last unveiled. Ch. 11 extends the analysis to functional categories. Ch. 12 examines questions, relative clauses, and WH-movement, while Ch. 13 looks at NP movement. Ch. 14, ‘Things to come’, touches on a selection of remaining topics that are in need of more extensive study: unaccusative verbs, VP shells and verb raising, and the DP hypothesis. There are two appendices: an annotated list of some minor grammatical categories and a list of twenty-eight verbs together with their argument structure.

Each chapter ends with summary points and a problem set. One appealing feature of the book is that the author begins with a simple model of English syntax, which he elaborates and nuances in later chapters as new evidence is presented, thereby encouraging readers to play with the material themselves and to engage critically with it from the outset. (The book is as much about how linguists make deductions as it is about what they deduce.) The author is also successful in motivating theoretical innovations.

Examples are taken mostly from English, although occasionally other languages, especially German and Quechua, are deployed to illustrate linguistic possibilities, which may not be apparent from English alone. The exercises are graded, advanced problems being marked as such. Many exercises are a simple matter of applying the definitions. Some invite the reader to reproduce an argument or generalize ideas from the preceding chapter. Problem 6 in Ch. 12 is exceptional in introducing a new concept (cyclic rule application) not yet covered in the text (142).

In conclusion, this is a short, gentle, inspiring guide to the fundamentals of syntax as science. The author demands little by way of prerequisites—a passing acquaintance with traditional grammar terms (e.g. adverb, subject) should suffice, and offers much by way of key concepts, methodology, and pointers for future study.

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