The document discusses different theories of linguistics that attempt to explain grammar, including transformational grammar, minimalism, and construction grammar. Transformational grammar proposes that words move between deep and surface structures to explain grammaticality, but critics argue that word movements are not plausible and that meaning should not be ignored. Minimalism aims to reduce unnecessary movements, but if all movement is unnecessary, then generative grammar has no means of explanation. Construction grammar and other theories argue that meaning is an inherent part of words and that language is embodied and connected to other cognitive and social factors beyond a specialized language faculty.
8. • IP DetP I’
• Det P (det) D’
• D’ D NP
• NP (AdjP) N’
• N’ N
• I’ –> Infl (VP)
• VP V’
• V’ V (DetP)
9. I like simple problems
• N: I, problems
• A/AdjP: simple
• V: like
• What’s this?
10. I like simple problems
• N: I, problems
• A/AdjP: simple
• V: like
• Information about words?
11. Information about words?
• N: I, problems
• A/AdjP: simple
• V: like
• In our theory of Universal Grammar?
12. Who cares?!
• N: I, problems
• A/AdjP: simple
• V: like
• These are not universal
• Who cares?
13. The lexicon
• Information about words
• And the information words carry
• All theories need some information about
words
• All theories need lexical information
• In Chomskyan linguistics, they tried to keep
this as small as possible
31. Not quite
• Not everyone agreed
• Were they crazy?
• Transformational Grammar is neat
• Transformational Grammar is tidy
• Transformational Grammar is easy to
understand
• Why didn’t they agree?
39. OK, movement seems strange
• Also, Transformational Grammar tries to
ignore lexical information
• Tries to ignore information carried by words
• That includes meaning
• Semantics
• Can a theory of grammar ignore meaning?
40. Linguistics Wars back in the 1960s
• Ignore semantics
• Versus
• Don’t ignore semantics
• Ignore semantics won
• But the losers didn’t go away
101. Unification Grammar
• Look at detailed lexical information
• Look at the semantics
• There are better solutions
• No movement
• Pattern matching
102. For example
1. Taro seems to like Hanako.
2. Taro tried to talk to Hanako.
• In 2 Taro is trying to do something. He is a
tryer.
• In 1 Taro isn’t trying to do anything.
• He isn’t a seemer.
• Why is that?