Showing papers on "Universal grammar published in 1992"

The Minimalist Program

Abstract: A classic work that situates linguistic theory in the broader cognitive sciences, formulating and developing the minimalist program. In his foundational book, The Minimalist Program, published in 1995, Noam Chomsky offered a significant contribution to the generative tradition in linguistics. This twentieth-anniversary edition reissues this classic work with a new preface by the author. In four essays, Chomsky attempts to situate linguistic theory in the broader cognitive sciences, with the essays formulating and progressively developing the minimalist approach to linguistic theory. Building on the theory of principles and parameters and, in particular, on principles of economy of derivation and representation, the minimalist framework takes Universal Grammar as providing a unique computational system, with derivations driven by morphological properties, to which the syntactic variation of languages is also restricted. Within this theoretical framework, linguistic expressions are generated by optimally efficient derivations that must satisfy the conditions that hold on interface levels, the only levels of linguistic representation. The interface levels provide instructions to two types of performance systems, articulatory-perceptual and conceptual-intentional. All syntactic conditions, then, express properties of these interface levels, reflecting the interpretive requirements of language and keeping to very restricted conceptual resources. In the preface to this edition, Chomsky emphasizes that the minimalist approach developed in the book and in subsequent work "is a program, not a theory." With this book, Chomsky built on pursuits from the earliest days of generative grammar to formulate a new research program that had far-reaching implications for the field.

Awareness and Second Language Acquisition

Abstract: One very active research tradition in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) attempts to establish causal relationships between environmental factors and learning. These include the type and quantity of input, instruction and feedback, and the interactional context of learning (Larsen-Freeman and Long 1991). A second very influential line of research and theory in SLA that came to fruition during the 1980s investigates the possible role of universal grammar (UG) in SLA (Eubank 1991b, White 1989). In the Chomskyan tradition, UG refers not to properties of language as the external object of learning but to innate properties of mind that direct the course of primary language acquisition. One question asked within this tradition has been whether or not second language learners still “have access” to UG, but it is assumed that UG principles are not accessible to learner awareness for any kind of conscious analysis of input. It is possible that SLA is the result of UG (a deep internal factor) acting upon input (an external factor), as proposed by White (1989), but what seems to be left out of such an account is the role of the learner's conscious mental processes.

Advances in role and reference grammar

Abstract: 1. Editor's introduction 2. I. The theory 3. A synopsis of role and reference grammar (by Van Valin Jr., Robert D.) 4. II. Applying the theory 5. Semantic and syntactic factors in control (by Cutrer, L. Michelle) 6. Serial verbs and complement constructions in Mandarin: A clause linkage analysis (by Hansell, Mark) 7. Subordination and cosubordination in Nootka: Clause combining in a Polysynthetic verb-initial language (by Jacobsen, Jr., William H.) 8. Preposition assignment in English (by Jolly, Julia A.) 9. On deviant case-marking in Latin (by Michaelis, Laura A.) 10. Argument linking in English derived nominals (by Nunes, Mary L.) 11. On the syntactc and semantic alignment of attributive and identificational constructions (by Schwartz, Linda) 12. Of nominatives and datives: universal grammar from the bottom up (by Silverstein, Michael) 13. Predicting syntactic structure from semantic representation: Remember in English and its equivalents in Mparntwe Arrernte (by Van Valin Jr., Robert D.) 14. An investigation of Turkish clause linkage (by Watters, James K.) 15. Topics index 16. Language index

Functional Categories and Language Acquisition

Abstract: Many theorists (e.g., Hyams 1987; Pinker 1984) working in the framework of generative grammar have assumed the “Continuity Hypothesis”. Under this view language acquisition is made up of a series of continuous stages. The child moves from one stage to another, and at each stage the grammar posited by the child is determined by Universal Grammar (UG). The motivation for the movement from one stage to another comes from a trigger in the language environment which causes the child to restructure her grammar, and so move on to the next stage. The Continuity Hypothesis has provided an explanation for the acquisition of many linguistic structures; however, in many instances it has been difficult to explain exactly which data in the language environment act as a trigger, and why they have an effect on the child’s grammar.

Long and Short Verb Movement in Second Language Acquisition

Abstract: Current linguistic theory offers a highly detailed account of what linguistic competence consists of, as well as an indication of how that competence is acquired by L1 learners, via an innate Universal Grammar (UG). In second language (L2) acquisition, a major issue is the nature of the L2 learner’s competence and the degree to which it is similar to or different from the competence attained by native speakers. A theory of linguistic competence is essential to our understanding of what L2 competence might consist of, and should inform L2 acquisition research (Gregg 1989). In this paper, I will adopt certain recent proposals concerning verb movement and the functional categories Agreement and Tense (Chomsky 1989; Pollock 1989), and investigate whether these proposals can provide a suitable explanation of the linguistic behaviour of French learners of English.

The Acquisition of Agreement Morphology and its Syntactic Consequences: New Evidence on German Child Language from the Simone-Corpus

Abstract: The general background for our study is the hypothesis of Lexical Learning, i.e., the question in what ways the emergence of syntactic structure in child language is determined through the acquisition of properties of lexical (and morphological) items. In the Universal Grammar (UG) framework it has recently been argued that parameters of UG should only refer to categories of lexical items or to properties of lexical items, for example canonical government. Rizzi (1989) proposed, for example, that only heads (=X°) or properties of heads may enter into a UG parameter. Chomsky (1989), based on previous work by Borer (1984), explored the possibility of allowing only functional categories to be parameterized. These attempts to constrain the class of UG parameters have lead to the hypothesis that in child language development the syntax of a particular language could be determined by the acquisition of lexical and/or functional categories (X°).

Finiteness and Verb Placement in Early Child Grammars: Evidence from Simultaneous Acquisition of French and German in Bilinguals

Abstract: Early child language exhibits a number of properties, e.g. a lack of case and agreement markings, word order patterns deviating from the adult norm, etc., which seem to indicate that child grammars differ in crucial ways from their adult counterparts. This observation might lead to the conclusion that child grammars do not conform to the principles of Universal Grammar (UG) which, according to linguistic theory, shape the grammars of natural languages. Although it is conceivable that these principles are subject to maturation, it is preferable to first explore explanations which will account for the noted particularities of child language without forcing us to assume a difference in kind between developing and mature grammars.

Naive physics, event perception, lexical semantics, and language acquisition

Abstract: How do children learn the language-specific components of their native language? How is language grounded in perception? Knowledge of the meanings of utterances containing unknown words presumably aids children in the process of determining their meanings. A complete account of such a process must ultimately explain how children extract utterance meanings from their non-linguistic context. Algorithms are presented which utilize a cross-situational learning strategy whereby the learner finds a language model which is consistent across several utterances paired with their non-linguistic context. This allows the learner to acquire partial knowledge from ambiguous situations and combine it across situations to infer a unique language model. M scAIMRA learns word-to-meaning and word-to-category mappings from a corpus pairing utterances with sets of expressions representing the potential meanings of those utterances hypothesized by the learner from the non-linguistic context. M scAIMRA's syntactic theory is embodied in a fixed context-free grammar. D scAVRA extends M scAIMRA by replacing the context-free grammar with a parameterized variant of X theory. K scENUNIA incorporates a more comprehensive model of universal grammar supporting movement, adjunction, and empty categories, as well as more extensive parameterization of its X theory component. I advance three claims about event perception and the process of grounding language in visual perception. Notions of support, contact, and attachment play a central role in defining the meanings of simple spatial motion verbs in a way that delineates prototypical occurrences of events described by those verbs from non-occurrences. Support, contact, and attachment relations between objects are recovered from images by a process of counterfactual simulation. This imagination capacity, while superficially similar in intent to traditional kinematic simulation, is actually based on a drastically different foundation which takes naive physical constraints such as substantiality, continuity, and attachment relations between objects to be primary. This theory of event perception has been implemented in a program called A scBIGAIL which watches a computer-generated animated movie and produces a description of the objects and events which occur in that movie. A scBIGAIL's event perception processes rely on counter-factual simulation to recover changing support, contact, and attachment relations between objects. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.) (Abstract shortened with permission of school.)

Transfer of L1 Parameter Settings: Some Empirical Evidence from Polish Metrics

Abstract: This paper describes an empirical investigation as to the utility of a principles and parameters model of grammar in describing the interlanguage grammars of second language learners. I argue that the framework of parameterized universal grammar is useful in accounting for second language learner knowledge and behaviour. The vast majority of their errors can be accounted for by the transfer of their first language (L1) parameter setting into the second language (L2).

Functional categories and maturation : the prefunctional stage of language acquisition

Abstract: The aim of this thesis is to provide a theory of language acquisition within the Principles and Parameters framework of Generative Grammar. In Chapter 1, I outline the syntactic theory I adopt which assumes that functional categories determine crosslinguistic variation in terms of parameterisation. In the model of the grammar presented, the set of functional categories is argued to constitute an independent module in the Language Faculty, the Functional Module. This is also referred to as the UG lexicon on the ground that it consists of categories that belong to the grammar proper. Substantive categories are assumed to be included in the Mental lexicon which is part of an independent module of the mind/brain. One of the underlying criteria which determine the difference between functional and substantive categories is the relation of each of these sets with conceptual entries in the mental lexicon. Both substantive and functional categories are argued to be morphologically realised at an interface level where processes of morphological affixation take place. The theoretical approach to language acquisition defended in this thesis is summarised as follows: Principles of UG (Universal Grammar) are always available throughout the process of language acquisition; the Functional Module is subject to maturation, hence not available at the Prefunctional stage (18-24 months). On the basis of these background assumptions, the predictions of the theory are that Prefunctional grammars are 'possible' grammars in the sense defined by UG and that parameterisation is absent. Accordingly, the theory is tested against acquisition data from a number of languages: English, French, Greek, German, Spanish and Irish. In Chapter 2 I present an account of inflectional affixation in Prefunctional grammars, the basic claim being that Aspect rather than Tense is encoded in early verbal forms. The presence of Aspect at this stage is argued to be motivated by two reasons. The first is that the process of Aspectual affixation involves a morphological rather than a syntactic derivation. On the assumption that lexical processes take place at the interface level, the presence of Aspectual features is expected. The second reason is that Aspect is an argument of the verb, thus necessarily present in early grammars, by virtue of thematic constraints on representations imposed by UG. In Chapter 3 I discuss Agreement morphology in early verbal forms. The absence of an Agreement projection in the structural representation is argued to give rise to a number of predictions as far as the status of null arguments in Prefunctional grammars is concerned. In particular, the claim put forward is that null subjects and objects are structurally realised as PRO, the underlying motivation being that the availability of this category does not depend on the presence of a functional head in the clause structure. The traditional idea that child grammars are context-bound is formulated in terms of the distinction between discourse- and sentence-oriented languages. Early grammars are thus argued to belong to the former set in that the referential status of null arguments is not syntactically but pragmatically identified. In Chapter 4 the issue of word-order in Prefunctional grammars is addressed. In the absence of functional heads in the clause structure, the order of the subject and the object is argued to be unfixed with respect to the verbal head. Moreover, according to the clause structure suggested previously, it is predicted that certain word-order patterns are not available at this stage. Thus, the VSO order is shown to be missing even in acquisition data from languages where it is available in adult speech, e.g. Irish, Greek and Spanish. The account of word-order in early grammars is thus subsumed under the general claim concerning the absence of functional categories, and, consequently, parameterisation. In Chapter 5, I discuss the interaction of negation and modality at the Prefunctional stage. These two categories are argued to exhibit certain distributional properties in early grammars which are attributed to their underlying semantic compatibility. Thus, distinctions between different categories of modality as well as between modal and non-modal sentences are argued to be expressed in the use of different negative elements in early grammars. The transition from this to the subsequent stage of development is argued to be the result of modal elements and negation emerging as syntactic categories. This account is consistent with the theoretical approach to language acquisition presented in this thesis, whereby transitional stages of development are taken to instantiate the emerging functional structure.

Subjacency Violations and Empty Categories in Second Language Acquisition

Abstract: Research on first language (L1) acquisition or on language processing that is conducted within the framework of Government Binding (GB) theory is able to presuppose the psychological reality of principles and parameters of Universal Grammar (UG), and to investigate their effects on the language acquirer or language user. The situation in second language (L2) acquisition is rather different: the availability of universal principles cannot be presupposed but instead becomes the focus of research. That is, a major research question is whether the L2 learner, particularly the adult learner, is guided by principles of UG. Influenced partly by the relative lack of success of L2 learners (their knowledge, fluency and ultimate attainment rarely approach that of native speakers), a number of researchers have recently proposed that UG is not actively available to the adult learner (Bley-Vroman, 1989; Clahsen and Muysken, 1986; Schachter, 1988). Proponents of this view argue that the learning mechanisms underlying adult L2 acquisition are radically different from those underlying L1 acquisition, and that they are not unique to language.

Substratal Influence in Saramaccan Serial Verb Constructions

Abstract: Bickerton's bioprogram hypothesis uses serial verbs as a primary demonstration that Saramaccan represents the closest approximation to Universal Grammar extant, judging from the fact that speakers of mutually unintelligible West African languages formulated it with little contact with European languages. Closer examination of Saramaccan and its substrate languages suggests, however, that the creole is a prime demonstration of substrate influence. The uniformity of serials across the substrate languages can be shown to have provided the opportunity for compromise between the small differences in the constructions in forming the language, according to perceptual saliency relative to the languages involved. A survey of serializing language families shows that serials in Saramaccan are most similar to those in its substrate, while a survey of creoles around the world shows that serials appear in creoles with similar substrates and almost never in those with nonserializing substrates. Furthermore, the explanation of serials as compensation for missing categories in Saramaccan is belied by an evaluation of this argument as applied to prepositions, which shows that the Saramaccan system mirrors that of its substrate with limited accommodations to its superstrate.

Il clitico: C'è ma non si vede

Abstract: This paper re-examines data from Italian children that Antinucci and Miller (1976) used to demonstrate a stage of obligatory object agreement — a stage representing a significant failure of correspondence between children's developing grammars and the target adult grammar. We interpret the relevant utterances as consistent with the target grammar, and argue that this is a more plausible construal. We also present an elicited production study which corroborates our interpretation. We replicate the kind of data Antinucci and Miller report and in gaps in their corpus. Our interpretation of the data thus crucially undermines the positions of both Antinucci and Miller (1976) and Borer and Wexler (1992). They use the object agreement to support theoretical claims violating the hypothesis that developing grammars obey the constraints of Universal Grammar throughout.

Universal Grammar and Language Learnability

Abstract: Anjum P. Saleemi argues that the acquisition of language as a cognitive system can properly be understood by pairing the formal approach to learning, often known as learnability theory, with Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar and its claim that human language is innately constrained, with some predefined space for variation. Focusing on specific areas of syntax, such as binding theory and the null subject parameter, Dr Saleemi unites learnability theory's methodology with Chomsky's principles-and-parameters model, and construes acquisition as a function of linguistic principles with largely domain-specific learning procedures, mediated by environmental input. The aim of this study is to show that a self-contained linguistic theory cannot by itself be psychologically plausible, but depends on a compatible theory of learning which embraces developmental as well as formal issues.

The Acquisition of Wh-Question Formation by Malagasy Learners of English: Evidence for Universal Grammar

Abstract: In investigations of the question of whether or not Universal Grammar (UG) is available in non-primary language acquisition, a number of researchers have tried to isolate situations where the way principles of UG operate in the first language (L1) could not help the learner acquire the relevant properties of the second language (L2). If learners show evidence of acquiring properties of the L2 that could not be acquired from the input alone and could not be reconstructed via the L1, this suggests that UG is available in non-primary acquisition; in contrast, if learners fail under such circumstances, this supports the claim that UG is no longer directly accessible. In particular, there has been a tradition of looking at island constraints in this light, using L1s and L2s which differ radically in terms of the surface effects of principles like Subjacency and the Empty Category Principle (ECP) (e.g., Bley-Vroman et al 1988; Johnson and Newport 1991; Martohardjono 1991a, 1991b; Martohardjono and Gair 1992; Schachter 1989, 1990; White 1989, 1992).

Which Children Did They Show Obey Strong Crossover

Abstract: This study examines children’s knowledge of strong crossover in two-clause sentences. The relevant constructions are illustrated in Types Ito IV below, where the intended interpretation of each question is indicated by indexing in the question. The answers provided correspond to the indexing in the question.

The assignment of grammatical relations in natural language processing

Abstract: THE ASSIGNMENT OF GRAMMATICAL RELATIONS IN NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING Leonardo Lesmo, Vincenzo Lombardo Dipartimento di Infom~atica - Universila' di Tofino C~ Svizzera 185 - 10149 Torino - ITALY e-mail: lesmo,vincenzo@diunitoit 1 Introduction One of the main goals of an interpreter is to map the syntactic descriptions found in the sentence into the correct roles that the elements (described by the nominals) play in the situation at hand (described by the verb) For instance, we must be able to state that in 1) The cat ate the mouse the cat is the "eater" and the mouse is the "eaten thing" Of course, if we only talk about roles and situations we miss some significant generalizations In 2) The boy drank the water, if we say that the boy is the "drinker" and the water is the "drunk thing", we disregard the evident similarity of the roles of "eater" and "drinker" in the two situations The notion of deep case arises as the common ground underlying a number of "apparently" different roles Upon this notion some frameworks, that stand at the core of semantic representation and natural language processing, are built (see [Fillmore 68], [Bruce 75] and ISomers 871) The hard task is to devise a mapping between the surface descriptions and these deep cases The complexity of some syntactic phenomena, like passivization, subject and object raising, long distance dependencies, has led many researchers to pose an intermediate level between the linear string of words and the case system The concept involved is that of "grammatical relation", such as "subject", "direct object", "indirect object" It is claimed, for example, that "passivizatiou" is universally (cross-linguistically) explained if one says that the "object" of an active sentence becomes the "subject" in the passive form, rather than by saying that the NP in the VP is moved to replace the NP in S (that is a direct mapping) In the latter case it is implicit that the partictdar language under examination has a Subject- Verb-Object structure (SVO), as it usually happens in configurational languages such as English In the example 3a) Lo hanno visto gli amici di Piero (Him &tve seen the friends of Piero) 3b) E' stato visto dagli amici di Piero ((He) has been seen by l'iero's friends) the passive form does not obey tile law of direct mapping The example is, however, easily accounted fbr by the relational theories The passivization rule induces only changes of function: the SUBJ becomes the BY- complement and the OBJ becomes the SUBJ The importance of grammatical relations, taken as primitives for a universal grammar, is stated by a number of formalisms often collected under the label of Relational Grammar The problem is to map the surface constituents into their correct roles With languages as Italian, which stands in the middle between configurational and freely ordered languages [Stock 891 some flexibility is required to accomplish this task One possibility is to adopt 11 neutral syntactic structure, open to several alternatives in the interpretation process The head & modifier approach seems to feature this kind of neutrality, and has effectively been used for dealing with free word order languages, like the Slavonic languages [Sgall et al 861 and Finnish [Jappinen et al 86] The dependency formalism we have adopted is presented in [Lesmo, Lombardo 91] An example is reported in figl, and concerns the sentence: 4) La ragazza ebe lavora al guardaroba fu persuasa da un cliente a comprare una enciclopedia (The girl who works at the wardrobe was persuaded by a customer to buy an encyclopedia) The daughter nodes that stand on the left of their head precede it in the linear order of the sentence, while daughter nodes on the right follow it The arcs that link the nodes in the dependency tree are of three types: arcs of structural and logical dependency (D&S arcs, represented by bold arrows in the figure), arcs of only structural dependency (STR arcs, simple arrows in the figure), and arcs of only logical dependency (DEP arcs, dashed arrows in the figure) D&S arcs link two words that stand in a "both structural and logical" relation STR and DEP split these two functions of arc: an STR individuatcs a purely superficial AcrEs DE COLING-92 NAN'~S, 23-28 ^o~r 1992 1 0 9 0 PROC or: COLING-92, NANTFS AUG 23-28, 1992

Introduction: Functional Categories and Verb Placement in Language Development

Abstract: Research investigating the development of early linguistic knowledge has been stimulated enormously, during the past decade, by recent versions of Generative Grammar. The Principles-and-Parameters framework of the theory of Universal Grammar (UG), as developed by Chomsky (1981) and others, has proved to be particularly useful for studies dealing with grammatical development. It allows for the formulation of more specific hypotheses than were possible in earlier models about what will be constant and what may be expected to vary in the course of language acquisition or of language change in history; see the papers in Roeper and Williams (eds.) (1987) and, more recently, the work by Lightfoot (1991) for examples illustrating this point.

Eurhythmy or Clash in the English Rhythm Rule

Abstract: O. Introduction In this paper, I argue that the rhythm rule phenomenon in English is best treated in terms of a theory incorporating the notion "stress clash" (Hammond, 1988), rather than the notion "eurhythmy" (Hayes, 1984). There are three central arguments. First, it is argued that the eurhythmy theory is intrinsically undesirable as it requires a theory of universal grammar that countenances arbitrary counting. Second, it is shown that the eurhythmy theory makes incorrect predictions about the behavior of words with initial stressless syllables. Third, it is shown that the clash -based theory, as opposed to the eurhythmy theory, generalizes nicely to account for the Montana cowboy phenomenon. The organization of this paper is as follows. First, I review the traditional clash -based account of Liberman and Prince (1977). I go on to review the eurhythmy account of Hayes (1984). This includes three central claims /effects: the quadrisyllabic rule, the disyllabic rule, and the phrasal rule. It is next shown that each of these effects can be achieved with independently required principles and machinery and that there is no need for a specific theory of eurhythmy. The following notation will be used in this paper. An acute accent will denote the strongest stress in a domain; a circumflex marks an intermediate stress; a grave indicates less stress; and an unmarked vowel indicates even less or no stress.

History of Glottogonic Theories

Abstract: Early speculation on the origin of language usually regarded it as a gift of the gods, though some argued that it was a purely natural human attribute, in Greece, Rome, and India. Traditional Jewish, Christian, and Islamic thought generally accepted the Biblical account of Adam’s first use of language in Eden and the later dispersion of tongues. Hebrew (or for Muslims, Arabic) was usually held to be the first language. Medieval and Renaissance ideas exhibited little new thought on this topic. There were attempts to replicate the ancient Psammetichus experiment with infants reared in isolation, and new proposals for the primordial tongue. Speculation on language origins greatly expanded in the 17th and 18th centuries, with debates on conventional versus naturalistic explanations, universal grammar, the capacity of feral children to reinvent language, and whether apes might be taught to speak. In the 19th century two new approaches appeared: comparative linguistics and Darwinism applied to language evolution. Brain research emerged, emphasizing cerebral localization. On the other hand, some specialists in linguistics explicitly banned glottogonic speculation as a hopeless exercise. After a decline in interest early in the 20th century, the question was vigorously revived stimulated by new fossil hominid finds, child language studies, more work on neurolinguistics, and language experiments with apes.

Comments on Yoshinori Sasaki's “A Logical Difficulty of the Parameter Setting Model”: Objection to a Logical Difficulty

Abstract: 0 In his TESOL Quarterly article (Vol. 24, No. 4), Yoshinori Sasaki is premature in drawing the conclusion that "[the Universal Grammar] model is untenable as a scientific theory of language acquisition" (p. 769). In constructing his logical argument that no marked syntactic parameter could ever originate, Sasaki misconstrues the way in which the notion of an innate Universal Grammar (UG) must be integrated into a theory of language acquisition and change. He argues that because no phonological, morphological, semantic, or pragmatic information enters into syntactic rules, no logically possible way exists to establish a marked parameter, and therefore no speaker's parameters could ever be "set" in a marked "position" by the experience of triggering utterances. His argument primarily addresses the compatibility of UG with an account of historical change; I will discuss this issue first and then the "logical difficulty" of the UG model. Much of David Lightfoot's career (e.g., 1974, 1979, 1980, 1981a, 1981b, 1982, & 1991) has been spent examining evidence of language shift from a generative perspective. The evolution of language reaches an apogee in what he terms reanalysis. Beginning at an arbitrary initial state of the language, and with the assumption of an innate language faculty consisting of core principles and parameters and a marked periphery, he enumerates some factors that stimulate reanalysis: processing problems, stylistic expressiveness, contact with foreign languages/pidgins/creoles, novelty, chance, and other nongrammatical factors. These factors introduce irregularity into a language, and which of these irregularities is perpetuated by grammaticization is unpredictable. These reanalyses are forced by the attempts of succeeding generations to acquire a language based on evidence that includes novel constructions or usage. Using principles of UG and the linguistic evi-