Linking: The Geometry of Argument Structure 2010 Edition Contributor(s): Randall, Janet H. (Author) |
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ISBN: 9400705328 ISBN-13: 9789400705326 Publisher: Springer OUR PRICE: $161.49 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: November 2010 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Language Arts & Disciplines | Linguistics - Semantics - Language Arts & Disciplines | Grammar & Punctuation - Social Science | Sociology - General |
Dewey: 401.43 |
Series: Studies in Natural Language and Linguistic Theory |
Physical Information: 0.72" H x 6.14" W x 9.21" (1.06 lbs) 329 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Linking - how semantic arguments map to the syntax - is one of the challenges for theories of the syntax-semantics interface. In this new approach, Janet Randall explores the hypothesis that the positions of syntactic arguments are strictly determined by lexical argument geometry. Yielding novel - if sometimes surprising - conclusions, her Isomorphic Linking Hypothesis establishes the linking patterns of a wide range of verbs and, with those results, shows how to reason "backwards" from how a given verb's arguments link to what its lexical representation must be. Along the way, the investigation takes on thorny lexical issues - reformulating the Theta Criterion, revisiting the multiple lexical-entry debate, eliminating "indirect" arguments and redefining unaccusativity. It offers new insights into how arguments are represented, assembles a host of argument/adjunct diagnostics, and re-examines the relation between arguments and predicates. The result of this incisive study is a simple and consistent account of linking, integrated with a radical rethinking of the nature of arguments and argument structure. |