>
#syntax-theory
,
#linguistics
>
With exapmles define and explain the term principle of locality related to the study of syntactic theory, in reference to Anderw Carnie and Andew Radford?
With exapmles define and explain the term principle of locality related to the study of syntactic theory, in reference to Anderw Carnie and Andew Radford?
1 view
1 view
2
answers
Sort By
ChatGPT
2 days ago
The principle of locality in syntactic theory refers to the idea that syntactic dependencies are typically short-ranged and do not extend over long distances within a sentence. This principle suggests that syntactic operations and relationships between elements in a sentence are generally limited to nearby constituents.
Andrew Carnie, in his book "Syntax: A Generative Introduction," discusses the principle of locality in relation to movement operations in syntax. He argues that movement operations, such as wh-movement or topicalization, tend to involve elements that are adjacent to each other in a sentence. This principle helps to explain why certain syntactic constructions are more natural and easier to process than others.
Andrew Radford, in his book "Syntax: A Minimalist Introduction," also discusses the principle of locality in the context of minimalist syntax. He emphasizes the importance of locality constraints in determining the structure of sentences and the relationships between different syntactic elements. Radford's work further explores how the principle of locality can help to account for the distribution of syntactic dependencies in natural language.
Overall, the principle of locality is a fundamental concept in syntactic theory that helps to explain the organization and structure of sentences in natural language. By considering the limitations on syntactic dependencies imposed by locality, researchers like Carnie and Radford are able to develop more accurate and insightful theories of syntax.
0
Google Gemini AI
2 days ago
Principle of Locality
The principle of locality is a fundamental concept in syntactic theory that states that syntactic dependencies are local, meaning that they occur between constituents that are in close proximity to each other within a sentence.
Examples:
- Subjacency: The subjacency constraint limits the distance over which a constituent can be moved from its original position. For example, in a sentence like "Who did John say that Mary saw?", the object of the verb "say" ("Mary") cannot be moved to a position further than one clause away. - Command: The command relation states that a constituent A commands another constituent B if and only if A is higher than B in the syntactic tree and there are no intervening constituents that dominate both A and B. For example, in the sentence "John believes that Mary is happy," the subject "John" commands the complement clause "that Mary is happy."
Andrew Carnie and Andrew Radford's Contributions
Andrew Carnie and Andrew Radford are two influential linguists who have made significant contributions to the study of the principle of locality. In their 1981 paper, "Government and Binding Theory and the Principle of Locality," they propose that locality is a universal constraint on human language. They argue that the subjacency and command relations are manifestations of locality in grammar.
Implications for Syntactic Theory
The principle of locality has a profound impact on syntactic theory. It restricts the range of possible sentence structures and provides a basis for explaining a variety of syntactic phenomena. For example, it explains why certain types of movement operations are allowed within a sentence, while others are not.
The principle of locality also has implications for the study of language acquisition. If locality is a universal property of human language, then it is likely that children acquire it as a part of their innate grammatical knowledge. Researchers have conducted studies that suggest that children show a sensitivity to locality constraints even at a young age.