The Syntax and Semantics of Split Constructions: a Comparative Study |
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Author:
| Butler, Alastair Mathieu, Eric |
ISBN: | 978-1-283-18243-0 |
Publication Date: | May 2014 |
Publisher: | Palgrave Macmillan
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Book Format: | Ebook |
List Price: | USD $220.00 |
Book Description:
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This book takes a comparative look at constructions where an operator is structurally detached from its noun restrictor. The main concern is the fact that such constructions are more limited than their non-split counterparts: if a scopal element intervenes the resulting sentence is ungrammatical. But why should the relation between the operator and its restriction be so constrained when a non-split alternative gives a well-formed structure? The current consensus is that such effects...
More DescriptionThis book takes a comparative look at constructions where an operator is structurally detached from its noun restrictor. The main concern is the fact that such constructions are more limited than their non-split counterparts: if a scopal element intervenes the resulting sentence is ungrammatical. But why should the relation between the operator and its restriction be so constrained when a non-split alternative gives a well-formed structure? The current consensus is that such effects can be linked to weak island phenomena and thus receive a common analysis. This view is adopted, but with a novel take on the link: it is argued that all constructions exhibiting weak islands are really split constructions.
With this syntactic basis a semantics is motivated that provides an explanation for the cut in the data: ungrammatical structures are shown to yield Logical Form representations that cannot be evaluated. The approach has a wide empirical coverage and a conceptual simplicity.