Chomsky's Universal Grammar introduces both the general concepts of the theory, particularly its goals of describing the knowledge of language and of accounting for how it is acquired, and the main areas of syntax such as X-bar theory, movement and government.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Cook and Newson have written an extremely clear and highly comprehensible introduction to current syntactic theory. This text makes accessible many subtleties of linguistic argumentation, and explains in plain English the reasoning involved. The second edition greatly improves on the first edition, both in depth and scope, with much new material added and many confusing points clarified. The chapter on the "Minimalist Programme" is the most lucid explication of Chomsky's recent writings that I am aware of."
--Steven Franks, Indiana University
--Steven Franks, Indiana University
Review
"Cook and Newson have written an extremely clear and highly comprehensible introduction to current syntactic theory. This text makes accessible many subtleties of linguistic argumentation, and explains in plain English the reasoning involved. The second edition greatly improves on the first edition, both in depth and scope, with much new material added and many confusing points clarified. The chapter on the "Minimalist Programme" is the most lucid explication of Chomsky's recent writings that I am aware of."
--Steven Franks, Indiana University
--Steven Franks, Indiana University
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Transition Help from GB to MP,
This review is from: Chomsky's Universal Grammar: An Introduction (Paperback)
The Government and Binding Theory (GB), though Chomsky prefers it to be called the Principle and Parameter Theory, is the most popular version of Chomsky's grammar in 1980s'. This book is an easy reading to cover every important part of GB. All significant terms are highlighted in a shaded block, which is very convenient for the reader to check up. In particular, the last chapter of the book provides a brief but clear explanation for the current version of Chomsky's theory, i.e., the Minimalist Program (MP). The chapter is a good help for the reader who want to transit from GB to MP, though he would be quite surprising to see that almost all key concepts in GB, such as D-structure, S-structure, Government, disappear in MP. This is a good introductory book both about the GB and MP framework.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
excellent intro to GB for non-linguists,
By
This review is from: Chomsky's Universal Grammar: An Introduction (Paperback)
Although I am not a Chomskyan, I personally am fond of this book. It is well-written and lucid, presenting basic Government & Binding theory in terms that are very easy to understand. I doubt a single non-technical introduction to generative grammar of this brevity and clarity has yet been written (far superior to Pinker's hand-waving in _The Language Instinct_), and I recommend it to anyone, non-generative linguist and non-linguist alike, who is interested in current mainstream linguistics in North America.However, Cook does seem worshipful of Chomsky to a degree that is just short of disturbing; Chomsky is frequently quoted more as authority than for argument, and does indeed appear on almost every page. The overall affect was, for me, disquieting. It is also, of course, no longer accurate: "Chomsky's" Universal Grammar is now the Minimalist Program, which is handled only by a final, tacked-on chapter. Cook should completely update this book with a third edition that starts with Chomsky's current theory from the beginning.
1 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
badly written,
By A Customer
This review is from: Chomsky's Universal Grammar: An Introduction (Paperback)
this book contains a few gems, mostly from Chomsky, but the authors write very bad english!
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The aim of this book is to convey why Chomsky's theory of language is stimulating and adventurous and why it has important consequences for all those working with language. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
functional categories analysis, functional parameterization hypothesis, inflectional nodes, typical potential governor, sisterhood condition, governing category parameter, occurrence requirement, head parameter, unmarked setting, functional phrases, empty category pro, indirect negative evidence, specifier position, lexical phrases, infinitival marker, antecedent government, proper governor, complementizer position, first language acquisition, null subject parameter, null subjects, verb placement, pronominal anaphor, bounding nodes, morphological uniformity Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Minimalist Programme, Case Filter, Relativized Minimality, Full Interpretation, Noun Phrase, Blocking Category, Verb Phrase, Principle of Economy, Empty Category Principle, Accessibility Hierarchy, Minimal Link Condition, Subset Principle, Head Movement Constraint, Moroccan Arabic, Prepositional Phrase, Prime Minister, American Sign Language, Old English, Other Verbs New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The aim of this book is to convey why Chomsky's theory of language is stimulating and adventurous and why it has important consequences for all those working with language. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
functional categories analysis, functional parameterization hypothesis, inflectional nodes, typical potential governor, sisterhood condition, governing category parameter, occurrence requirement, head parameter, unmarked setting, functional phrases, empty category pro, indirect negative evidence, specifier position, lexical phrases, infinitival marker, antecedent government, proper governor, complementizer position, first language acquisition, null subject parameter, null subjects, verb placement, pronominal anaphor, bounding nodes, morphological uniformity Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Minimalist Programme, Case Filter, Relativized Minimality, Full Interpretation, Noun Phrase, Blocking Category, Verb Phrase, Principle of Economy, Empty Category Principle, Accessibility Hierarchy, Minimal Link Condition, Subset Principle, Head Movement Constraint, Moroccan Arabic, Prepositional Phrase, Prime Minister, American Sign Language, Old English, Other Verbs New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 95
books:
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50
books
cite this book:
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- Knowledge of Language: Its Nature, Origins, and Use (Convergence) by Noam Chomsky on 4 pages
- Relativized Minimality (Linguistic Inquiry Monographs) by Luigi Rizzi on 4 pages
- Verbal Behavior by B. F. Skinner on 4 pages
- Binding Theory (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics) by Daniel Büring on page 118, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Syntactic Structures (2nd Edition) by Noam Chomsky on page 41, page 53, and Back Matter
See all 95 books this book cites
- Inside Language by Vivian Cook on 5 pages
- The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Applied Linguistics: A Handbook for Language Teaching (Blackwell Handbooks in Linguistics) by Keith Johnson on page 41, page 170, and page 362
- Second Language Learning and Language Teaching by Vivian Cook on page 45, page 198, and Back Matter
- The ELT Curriculum: Design, Innovation and Mangement (Applied Language Studies) by Ronald White in Front Matter, and Back Cover
- The Handbook of Linguistics (Blackwell Handbooks in Linguistics) by Mark Aronoff in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
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