Grant Goodall - Böcker

This book reflects on key questions of enduring interest on the nature of syntax, bringing together Grant Goodall’s previous publications and new work exploring how syntactic representations are structured and the affordances of experimental techniques in studying them.The volume sheds light on central issues in the theory of syntax while also elucidating the methods of data collection which inform them. Featuring Goodall’s previous studies of linguistic phenomena in English, Spanish, and Chinese, and complemented by a new introduction and material specific to this volume, the book is divided into four sections around fundamental strands of syntactic theory. The four parts explore the dimensionality of syntactic representations; the relationship between syntactic structure and predicate-argument structure; interactions between subjects and wh-phrases in questions; and more detailed investigations of wh-dependencies but from a more overtly experimental perspective. Taken together, the volume reinforces the connections between these different aspects of syntax by highlighting their respective roles in defining what syntactic objects look like and how the grammar operates on them.This book will be a valuable resource for scholars in linguistics, particularly those with an interest in syntax, psycholinguistics, and Romance linguistics.

This book reflects on key questions of enduring interest on the nature of syntax, bringing together Grant Goodall’s previous publications and new work exploring how syntactic representations are structured and the affordances of experimental techniques in studying them.The volume sheds light on central issues in the theory of syntax while also elucidating the methods of data collection which inform them. Featuring Goodall’s previous studies of linguistic phenomena in English, Spanish, and Chinese, and complemented by a new introduction and material specific to this volume, the book is divided into four sections around fundamental strands of syntactic theory. The four parts explore the dimensionality of syntactic representations; the relationship between syntactic structure and predicate-argument structure; interactions between subjects and wh-phrases in questions; and more detailed investigations of wh-dependencies but from a more overtly experimental perspective. Taken together, the volume reinforces the connections between these different aspects of syntax by highlighting their respective roles in defining what syntactic objects look like and how the grammar operates on them.This book will be a valuable resource for scholars in linguistics, particularly those with an interest in syntax, psycholinguistics, and Romance linguistics.

This book proposes a radical revision in the definition of phrase markers, the fundamental object in the generative theory of syntax. Phrase markers have traditionally been defined in such a way that each node in the phrase marker must satisfy a relation of either dominance or precedence with every other node. Grant Goodall argues convincingly that the dominance and precedence requirement should be dropped. The argument is lucidly articulated and is supported by a comprehensive description and analysis of of coordination in English and of causative and restructuring constructions in the Romance languages. Parallel Structures in Syntax is a significant and thoughtful contribution to syntactic theory, and arguably provides the simplest and most elegant account available of many of the complex phenomena observed in coordination, causatives, and restructuring. It will interest not only theoretical linguists, but also computational linguists and cognitive scientists.

Experimental syntax is an area that is rapidly growing as linguistic research becomes increasingly focused on replicable language data, in both fieldwork and laboratory environments. The first of its kind, this handbook provides an in-depth overview of current issues and trends in this field, with contributions from leading international scholars. It pays special attention to sentence acceptability experiments, outlining current best practices in conducting tests, and pointing out promising new avenues for future research. Separate sections review research results from the past 20 years, covering specific syntactic phenomena and language types. The handbook also outlines other common psycholinguistic and neurolinguistic methods for studying syntax, comparing and contrasting them with acceptability experiments, and giving useful perspectives on the interplay between theoretical and experimental linguistics. Providing an up-to-date reference on this exciting field, it is essential reading for students and researchers in linguistics interested in using experimental methods to conduct syntactic research.

Experimental syntax is an area that is rapidly growing as linguistic research becomes increasingly focused on replicable language data, in both fieldwork and laboratory environments. The first of its kind, this handbook provides an in-depth overview of current issues and trends in this field, with contributions from leading international scholars. It pays special attention to sentence acceptability experiments, outlining current best practices in conducting tests, and pointing out promising new avenues for future research. Separate sections review research results from the past 20 years, covering specific syntactic phenomena and language types. The handbook also outlines other common psycholinguistic and neurolinguistic methods for studying syntax, comparing and contrasting them with acceptability experiments, and giving useful perspectives on the interplay between theoretical and experimental linguistics. Providing an up-to-date reference on this exciting field, it is essential reading for students and researchers in linguistics interested in using experimental methods to conduct syntactic research.

The philosophy behind Conéctate is simple: take what we know about second-language learning, combine it with the best practices in second-language teaching, and infuse it throughout with stimulating cultural content that challenges students to see themselves and the world in new ways. The overarching goal is to help instructors teach a highly effective, consistently engaging, and truly inspirational course in Spanish that is based on solid research.•Meaning-based activities: At its core, language is a way of expressing meaning, so all activities in Conéctate guide students through the process of using Spanish meaningfully, either by understanding sentences that they hear or see, or by producing sentences that express what they want to communicate. Students are given myriad opportunities to engage in meaningful activities within a rich cultural context in all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. •Active-learning approach: Students learn best when they are fully engaged with the material and are actively participating in every stage of the learning process. There is strong evidence that learning improves when students try to anticipate what is about to be learned or when they test themselves on what they have just learned. To this end, Conéctate incorporates these techniques in every chapter. Rather than simply presenting students with a vocabulary list, for instance, vocabulary activities in Conéctate ask students to figure out which word goes with which meaning, requiring students to engage actively with the material. Grammar activities, similarly, have students use a grammar point in meaningful ways right from the start, allowing them to uncover some basic grammatical properties on their own before these have been explained to them. As the research literature and everyday experience show, this type of challenge leads to better learning outcomes. •Input-to-output sequence: In every section of Conéctate, students focus first on comprehension and then transition to production. This sequencing of activities ensures that students are fully prepared to do each activity and follows a fundamental principle of language acquisition: you learn to understand before you learn to produce. Whether focused on input or output, though, all activities are solidly meaning-based. In the initial activities, students see or hear the words and need to understand them, while in later activities, they need to speak or write the words in order to express an idea. •Review: Students learn best when they revisit topics on a regular basis, so Conéctate builds in review as an integral part of the program. Each grammar section, for instance, is preceded by a brief active-learning activity that refreshes students' awareness of a related grammatical point that they have already seen. In addition, for certain topics that are known to be challenging, such as object pronouns, students build up their knowledge incrementally over the course of several chapters, always reviewing what they have seen previously before proceeding. •Authentic language and culture: Students will ultimately be using their Spanish in the real world, not in a classroom, so Conéctate is infused throughout with videos of Spanish-speakers from all over the world, telling their stories in a spontaneous, unscripted, and natural way. From the very beginning, students learn to understand buenos días, for example, the way people really say it, and as they proceed, they learn to understand more extended discourse. The activities are carefully designed so that beginning students can understand and engage with this natural speech, despite the fact that it is “real Spanish,” not language artificially created for a textbook.