Grammar as Science by Richard Larson [2010, MIT] ebook pdf

This book tries to explain for lay people how to approach linguistics from a scientific standpoint.  For non-linguists looking to understand Chomsky's approach to linguistics, this might be the best place to start.  The author credits Chomsky for his help in the beginning.

Enjoy and keep information free!

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Contents

Preface for Teachers xiii

Acknowledgments xvii

PART I
Setting Out 1
Language as a Natural Object 4
The Terrain Ahead 6

UNIT 1
What Is Linguistics? 9
Leading Questions 9
Studying Knowledge of Language 11
A Talking Analogy 13
Universal Grammar 17

UNIT 2
What Is Syntax About? 21
Review 21
Dividing Up the Problem Area 22
Internal Structure 30
Exercises 33

PART II
Grammars as Theories 35

UNIT 3
Introducing Phrase Structure Rules 41
Review 41
Generating Sentences 41
Phrase Structure Rules 44
Tree Diagrams and Derivations 44

UNIT 4
Grammars 53
Review 53
Grammars as Theories 54
The Data of Syntax 55
Formulating a Grammar 60

UNIT 5
Working with Grammars 65
Review 65
Testing a Grammar 66
Revising a Grammar 68
Extending a Grammar 70
Exercises 73

PART III
Choosing between Theories 79

UNIT 6
Comparing Rules and Theories 83
Review 83
Comparing Alternative Rules 84
Equivalent Theories 92
Comparing Equivalent Theories 94

UNIT 7
Constituency and Constituency Tests 99
Review 99
More on Conjunction 100
Other Constituency Tests 104

UNIT 8
Trees and Tree Relations 115
Review 115
More about Trees 115
Some Distributional Facts 119
C-Command Phenomena as Constituency Tests 125

UNIT 9
Determining Category 127
Review 127
Determining Category 127
The Category of Words 128
The Category of Phrases 131

UNIT 10
Revising, Refining, and Reconsidering 135
Review 135
Interpreting Test Results 135
More on Revising Grammars 140
Exercises 155

PART IV
Arguing for a Theory 165

UNIT 11
Constructing Arguments I 169
Review 169
Giving an Argument 169
Four Steps of an Argument and Their Relations 171
Convergent Evidence 172
Nonconvergent Evidence 173
Coming Up With the Parts of an Argument 175

UNIT 12
Constructing Arguments II 179
Review 179
Choosing between Alternative Structures 179
Missing Principle 180
Missing Data Summary and Principle 182
Missing Data Summary, Principle, and Conclusion I 184
Missing Data Summary, Principle, and Conclusion II 186
Exercises 191

PART V
Searching for Explanation 195
Structural Formulas 198
Explaining Phrase Markers? 199

UNIT 13
Introducing the Lexicon 201
Review 201
Categories and Subcategories 201
The Lexicon 207

UNIT 14
Features, Heads, and Phrases 213
Review 213
Expanding Our Feature Set 214
Where Does a Phrase Get Its Features? 218
Heads and Phrases 222

UNIT 15
Verbal Complements and Adjuncts 227
Review 227
Complements 227
Adjuncts 231

UNIT 16
Distinguishing Complements and Adjuncts 235
Review 235
Complement or Adjunct? 235
Three Diagnostics 236

UNIT 17
Attaching Complements 247
Review 247
Complements and Constituency 247
A Locality Constraint 254

UNIT 18
Attaching Adjuncts 259
Review 259
An Apparent Contradiction 259
Adjunction of Modifiers 263
Exercises 269

PART VI
Following the Consequences 279

UNIT 19
Complement Sentences I 283
Review 283
Sentence Forms 283
Sentences inside Sentences 285
Selection for Sentence Type 288

UNIT 20
Complement Sentences II 297
Review 297
Finite versus Nonfinite Clauses 298
Selection for Finiteness 300

UNIT 21
Invisible Lexical Items 309
Review 309
Subjectless Infinitives and PRO 309
“Invisible Elements”:
Expect versus Persuade 314
Summing Up 324

UNIT 22
NP Structure 327
Review 327
Sentencelike NPs 328
Complements of N 329
Adjuncts in NP 335
PRO in NP 339

UNIT 23
X-Bar Theory 343
Review 343
More on NP - TP 343
The Structure of PP 345
Abstracting a Common Shape 348
Powerful Implications! 349
Simple Rules versus Complex Structures 353
Exercises 355

PART VII
Expanding and Constraining the Theory 363

UNIT 24
Interrogatives and Movement 369
Review 369
The Problem of Constituent Interrogatives 369
Wh-Movement 373
Further Evidence for Movement 375

UNIT 25
More on Wh-Movement 383
Review 383
Movement in General 383
Movement in CP 387
Matrix Interrogatives 392

UNIT 26
Constraints on Movement I 395
Review 395
“Long-Distance” Movement 395
Stepwise Movement 400
The Principle of the Strict Cycle 403

UNIT 27
Constraints on Movement II 405
Review 405
NP Domains 406
Movement and Complete Sentences 406
Movement and Nominals 409
The Phase Principle 410

UNIT 28
Parametric Variation 413
Review 413
Crosslinguistic Variation in Movement 413
“Parameterizing” Principles 415
Exercises 423

References 427

Index 429