NDLI: Symmetry in Syntax: Merge and Demerge

Please wait, while we are loading the content...

Symmetry in Syntax: Merge and Demerge

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Fukui, Naoki Taka, Yuji
Copyright Year	1998
Abstract	This article proposes a theory of phrase structure which is free from unmotivated stipulations as much as possible and which is also compatible with the most restrictive theory of parametric variation currently available (cf. Fukui (1995)), with a special focus on the nature and role of linear order and functional categories. A hypothesis called the "Symmetry of Derivation" is put forth, according to which the computations in the overt syntax (i.e., the pre-Spell-Out computations) and the computations in the (pre-Morphology) phonological component are "symmetric" in the sense that they form mirror images of each other. More specifically, we propose that language computation maps an array of linguistic elements to an interface representation in such a way that it starts with a lexical item (a head) proceeding in a bottom-up fashion (Merge) and at some point of this step-by-step derivational process (Spell-Out) starts "decomposing" the structures already formed in a top-down fashion ("Demerge") until the derivation reaches a completely unstructured sequence with a fixed linear order.It is shown that this symmetry principle explains the major properties of phrase structure in an elegant way. The principle accounts for the apparently universal "leftness" property of Spec in a straightforward way by attributing its leftness to the fact that a Spec, by definition, is the first maximal projection in a given phrase that the top-down computation Demerge encounters. With respect to the order between a head and its complement, which allows for cross-linguistic variation (head-initial vs. head-last), the symmetry principle predicts that the head-last order reflects the "base" order involving no relevant movement whereas the head-initial order is derived by movement, in clear contrast with Kayne's (1994) approach. The difference between head-initial English and head-last Japanese is, then, attributed to different properties of a "light verb" v (Chomsky (1995b)): v has the property of attracting V in English but not in Japanese. Numerous theoretical and empirical consequences are shown to follow in an interesting way from this hypothesis, coupled with the symmetry principle of derivations.
Starting Page	27
Ending Page	86
Page Count	60
File Format	PDF
ISSN	09258558
Journal	Journal of East Asian Linguistics
Volume Number	7
Issue Number	1
e-ISSN	15728560
Language	English
Publisher	Kluwer Academic Publishers
Publisher Date	1998-01-01
Publisher Place	Dordrecht
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Chinese Comparative Linguistics Japanese Languages and Literature Theoretical Languages
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Linguistics and Language History and Philosophy of Science

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Evidentiality, Experiencers, and the Syntax of sentience in Japanese

On Subject Specificity and Theory of Syntax-Semantics Interface

The Syntax of Mandarin Bă: Reconsidering the Verbal Analysis

Implications of Child Errors for the Syntax of Negation in Korean

The Syntax and Semantics of Phonological Phrasing in Shanghai and Hokkien

Gradient Prosody in Japanese

Multiple-classifier constructions and nominal expressions in Chinese

On modification with whole/zheng in English and Chinese and the uniformity of syntax

Japanese Plurals are Exceptional

Symmetry in Syntax: Merge and Demerge

Similar Documents

Evidentiality, Experiencers, and the Syntax of sentience in Japanese

On Subject Specificity and Theory of Syntax-Semantics Interface

The Syntax of Mandarin Bă: Reconsidering the Verbal Analysis

Implications of Child Errors for the Syntax of Negation in Korean

The Syntax and Semantics of Phonological Phrasing in Shanghai and Hokkien

Gradient Prosody in Japanese

Multiple-classifier constructions and nominal expressions in Chinese

On modification with whole/zheng in English and Chinese and the uniformity of syntax

Japanese Plurals are Exceptional

Symmetry in Syntax: Merge and Demerge