Syntax: A Generative Introduction (Introducing Linguistics) [Paperback]

Andrew Carnie (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0631225447 | ISBN-13: 978-0631225447 | Publication Date: February 28, 2002 | Edition: 1st

This book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the major issues in syntactic theory, including phrase structure, the lexicon, case theory, movement, and locality conditions.

• Walks the student through complicated analyses, pointing out common mistakes and how to avoid them
  
• Includes extensive foreign language examples and exercises
  
• Contains exercises designed both to cement foundational knowledge and to take the student to the next level
  
• Accompanied by a supplementary website with sample problems, chapter summaries and relevant links: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/carnie

Editorial Reviews

Review

"From first-hand experience, Carnie's book provides a highly readable and engaging initiation into the mindset and preoccupations of current syntactic theory. It is useful in tying the cognitive implications and background of current Chomskyan work together with the increasing cross-linguistic emphasis in syntax. The problem sets alone were extremely appreciated by my undergraduates." Mark Baltin, New York University

"This book is a perfect example of how sophisticated syntactic concepts can be presented in a genuinely reader-friendly way. The syntax student is led carefully through argumentation to current syntactic theory and at the end has a clear understanding not only of the whats of syntax but also the whys." Lisa deMena Travis, McGill University

"The book is written in a reader-friendly way, and guides students to grasp complicated syntactic concepts and analyses." The Linguist List

From the Back Cover

Building on the success of the bestselling first edition, the new edition of Syntax provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the major issues in Principles and Parameters syntactic theory, including phrase structure, the lexicon, case theory, binding, movement, and locality conditions. Unique among syntax texts, this book also contains short chapters on both HPSG and LFG.

Syntax succeeds in strengthening the foundational knowledge of its readers, preparing them for more advanced study.

The fully revised second edition includes:

• Extended discussion in the foundational chapters, including many more sample trees
• New and extended problem sets in every chapter, all of which have been annotated for level and skill type
• A new foundational chapter on parts of speech
• Three new chapters on advanced topics including vP shells, object shift, gapping and ellipsis, control, and an additional chapter on advanced topics in binding

Syntax, Second Edition is supported by an instructor’s manual and online resources for students and instructors, available at www.blackwellpublishing.com/carnie. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 390 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1st edition (February 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631225447
• ISBN-13: 978-0631225447
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #863,741 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great text for the beginning linguist, December 11, 2003

By 

James G. Warden (Columbia, SC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Syntax (Introducing Linguistics) (Hardcover)

Carnie's "Syntax" is a good text for the graduate student, although it falls for many of the same pitfalls any beginning syntax book faces. The layout in this book is wonderful. The writing is mostly clear and even has a dry sense of humor at points. Indices are great and it is easy to go back and find what you need. Each chapter - indeed each subsection - has a summary of the ideas learned. For ideas like raising and control this is an invaluable way to quickly compare the differences between the concepts. There are also definitions for the theories and concepts discussed. Great job on this.

Exercises are great. Some of them can really push a student. But they are designed in such a way that to solve them, students will usually have to link ideas from other chapters and draw logical conclusions. This really helps students start to build up a linguistic framework, as opposed to just scattered, disparate pieces of information. He relies heavily on Irish. But, in all fairness, the problems are relevant and serve the student well.

The only problem the "Syntax" really had is where it chose to simplify the model. Any introduction to syntax has to simplify its model for students to understand. The problem is where to simplify. By and large, Carnie succeeds in making complex material understandable. But in a few cases the simplifications can confuse the student more than the complex concept would have. This is nothing that a good professor can't overcome, though. There are also a few big ideas handled in a cursor way or not at all. DP-hypothesis is mentioned in such a way that the reader wonders why he even brought it up (to be perfectly honest, nothing in his models even require it). VP shells aren't even mentioned.

Carnie does a better job than most in incorporating and addressing competing theories. He still has a minimalist perspective - which I don't have a problem with - but is less dogmatic than most. The end of the book even has chapters on Lexical-functional grammar and HPSG. Hey, students are intelligent. Give them the skills and they can make intelligent choices on their own.

All-in-all this is a good book for an introductory syntax course at the graduate level. It can be used for a person studying syntax independently, but don't hesitate to check out papers or other texts when you feel confused. There were some concessions made for simplification and often that extra bit of information can make it click.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect Introduction for students of syntax, October 1, 2005

By 

James MacDonald (Malden MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Syntax: A Generative Introduction (Introducing Linguistics) (Paperback)

I don't know what book Joo Y. Chung (see review below) was reading, but it wasn't the same book that I read. Carnie's textbook is a very accessible text that avoids technical jargon (not "snobbily dumbed down" as Chung asserts) and I think the argumentation is entirely straightforward. For example in chapter 5, Carnie shows how the X-bar theory follows directly from the evidence of replacement operations. The motivations are totally clear and obvious, nothing is an "edict from on high" (ok, in some of the later chapters, Carnie doesn't immediately explain somethings, but he always gets back to it later (e.g. in chapter 6 there is no explanation of why we have specifiers, but Carnie is totally up front about it, and the book returns to it in later chapters. Sometimes I didn't understand the motivations for things until I tried the problem sets, but overall I think everything was pretty clearly laid out.) I've taken two Syntax classes, one taught with Adger's book and one taught with Carnie's and Carnie's wins hands down. In fact, this book was far clearer than my professor ever was in his lectures. I wish there was some more detailed and more advanced material in the book, but other wise I think it's the best linguistics textbook that I've (been forced to) read.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Basics, March 2, 2003

By 

A. Sullivan (Saint Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Syntax: A Generative Introduction (Introducing Linguistics) (Paperback)

I'm using this text for college level introductory course in Syntax. The book is a really good source for the basics of X-Bar theory. A few of the concepts lack clear examples, but overall it does a great job of explaining things. In fact, it's clarity (for the most part) helps me sort out what my professor is blathering about. I refer to the book more than my class notes for help in analysing data.

I think this is a great book for both students and also those with an interest in linguistics and would like to pursue Syntax in more depth.