Understanding Syntax 2nd Edition

This widely acclaimed textbook provides a complete introduction to the syntax of human languages.

Assuming no prior knowledge of linguistics, Understanding Syntax, Third Edition, explains and illustrates the major terms and concepts essential to the study of sentence structure in the world's languages. Word classes such as 'noun', 'verb' and 'preposition' are introduced, and the properties of syntactic categories are discussed. Clause structure is explained and illustrated, helping the reader to distinguish between finite and non-finite clauses, root and subordinate clauses, with definitions of all technical terms. Constituent structure is introduced, including simple tree diagrams. Relationships within the clause, including case and agreement, are examined cross-linguistically. Grammatical constructions and processes that change grammatical relations are introduced and exemplified, with extensive illustration from English and many other languages. Uses examples from a wide variety of languages to broaden the reader's syntactic skills Includes exercises to consolidate learning New case studies engage the reader with cross-linguistic syntax New further reading sections and references This new edition has been updated and revised to meet the needs of today's students. Difficult points are given fuller explanation, references have been updated, and important skills are taught, such as how to read examples from languages other than English. MAGGIE TALLERMAN is Professor of Linguistics, Newcastle University. Series editors: BERNARD COMRIE, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, and GREVILLE CORBETT, University of Surrey. The Understanding Language series provides approachable, yet authoritative, introductions to major topics in linguistics. Ideal for students with little or no prior knowledge of linguistics, each book carefully explains the basics, emphasising understanding of the essential notions rather than arguing for a particular theoretical position. Other books in the Understanding Language series include: Understanding Language Testing (978 0 340 98343 0) Understanding Morphology, Second Edition (978 0 340 95001 2) Understanding Phonology, Third Edition (978 1 444 1204 7) Understanding Pragmatics (978 0 340 64623 6) Understanding Semantics (978 0 340 73198 7) Understanding Phonetics (978 0 340 92827 1)

Assuming no prior knowledge, Understanding Syntax illustrates the major concepts, categories and terminology associated with the study of cross-linguistic syntax. A theory-neutral and descriptive viewpoint is taken throughout. Starting with an overview of what syntax is, the book moves on to an explanation of word classes (such as noun, verb, adjective) and then to a discussion of sentence structure in the world’s languages. Grammatical constructions and relationships between words in a clause are explained and thoroughly illustrated, including grammatical relations such as subject and object; function-changing processes such as the passive and antipassive; case and agreement processes, including both ergative and accusative alignments; verb serialization; head-marking and dependent-marking grammars; configurational and non-configurational languages; questions and relative clauses. The final chapter explains and illustrates the principles involved in writing a brief syntactic sketch of a language, enabling the reader to construct a grammatical sketch of a language known to them. Data from approximately 100 languages appears in the text, with languages representing widely differing geographical areas and distinct language families. The book will be essential for courses in cross-linguistic syntax, language typology, and linguistic fieldwork, as well as for basic syntactic description.

This is an introduction to the main categories, constructions, terminology and problems associated with syntax, providing a basis from which students can proceed to more advanced work.

An authoritative, self-contained introduction to the subject for students who have had no prior coursework in syntactic theory. English Syntax is an authoritative, self-contained introduction to the subject for students who have had no prior coursework in syntactic theory. The detailed revisions throughout this new edition are aimed at increasing its clarity and usefulness. There are changes in almost every chapter, including a large number of new exercises and several new subsections. In addition there are two new appendixes, the first sketching the relation of English syntax to the wider field of generative syntactic theory, the second summarizing the basic syntactic structures discussed in the body of the text. Specific changes include a fuller discussion, at the beginning of chapter 3, of the difference between complements and modifiers; a more systematic introduction to tree diagrams and what they express, at the end of chapter 3; a new subsection in chapter 4 on how to analyze complex structures; a new discussion of the general nature of missing-phrase constructions in chapter 9; a significant revision of the discussion of comparative clauses in chapter 12; a new discussion of the scope of negation in chapter 15; and, in chapter 16, a new discussion of practical strategies for analyzing conjoined structures.

A valuable companion to Andrew Carnie’s Syntax: A Generative Introduction, 4th Edition, full of practice questions and engaging exercises to promote student comprehension Syntax: A Generative Introduction, Fourth Edition, is the leading textbook for undergraduate courses in the syntax, covering foundational topics such as universal grammar, parts of speech, constituency, trees, structural relations, binding theory, x-bar theory, and movement, as well as advanced subjects such as control theory, ellipsis, polysynthesis, incorporation, non-configurationality, and Merge. Written by Syntax author Andrew Carnie, The Syntax Workbook has been purposefully designed to support and complement the use of Syntax in the undergraduate classroom. The Syntax Workbook is the perfect companion to the author’s seminal textbook and contains updated practice material for every section of the text. This workbook: Includes exercises, practice questions, data analysis, and knowledge application questions for each section in Syntax: A Generative Introduction, Fourth Edition Features exercises and questions with full answers and explanations to assist students in learning to apply theory to practice Has been authored by leading figure in syntax Andrew Carnie to support classroom usage of Syntax: A Generative Introduction, Fourth Edition Works in concert with a student companion website, offering a robust selection of learning tools for the classroom Ideal for undergraduate courses in syntax, Syntax: A Generative Introduction, Fourth Edition, and The Syntax Workbook, Second Edition, together offer a perfect combination of thorough coverage and valuable practice. The workbook can be purchased on its own or in a set with the textbook. Available as a set with Syntax: A Generative Introduction, 4th Edition

This new edition of Understanding Morphology has been fully revised in line with the latest research. It now includes 'big picture' questions to highlight central themes in morphology, as well as research exercises for each chapter. Understanding Morphology presents an introduction to the study of word structure that starts at the very beginning. Assuming no knowledge of the field of morphology on the part of the reader, the book presents a broad range of morphological phenomena from a wide variety of languages. Starting with the core areas of inflection and derivation, the book presents the interfaces between morphology and syntax and between morphology and phonology. The synchronic study of word structure is covered, as are the phenomena of diachronic change, such as analogy and grammaticalization. Theories are presented clearly in accessible language with the main purpose of shedding light on the data, rather than as a goal in themselves. The authors consistently draw on the best research available, thus utilizing and discussing both functionalist and generative theoretical approaches. Each chapter includes a summary, suggestions for further reading, and exercises. As such this is the ideal book for both beginning students of linguistics, or anyone in a related discipline looking for a first introduction to morphology.

First Published in 1991. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.