User:RockRockOn/A Minimalist Theory of Syntax

Guiding Principles[edit]

Category[edit]

Function[edit]

Structure (Drawing Trees)[edit]

NO NODE HAS MORE THAN TWO CHILDREN!
Definition of /Constituent
/C-merge

Traces[edit]

/Head Trace - t
/Specifier Trace - <t>
- Operator Trace - <o>
/Modifier Trace - {t}

Semantics Stuff[edit]

See Colorless green ideas sleep furiously for the beauty of failed semantic checking

Semantic roles (theta roles?)

Other[edit]

/Topicalization
/VP-shells
- /Ergatives
- /Unaccusatives
- /Object control
- /Particle constructions
/VIS (VP-Internal Specifier Hypothesis)
- Rising Quantifier
/PRO - invisible pronoun
- Expletive Subject test
/OP - invisible operator (see also /Operator Trace)
/Minimum Sentence == D + I (see the nasty Sentence (linguistics) article for comparison)

It is recommended that function parses be put inside of <nowiki> tags

Connections[edit]

Andrew McIntyre's Web Page - seems like this same theory; he does mix the determiner concept with the specifier concept, but he admits that he's only doing so for pedagogical purposes.
Government and binding - a similar theory, but the same one that seems to confuse many /Determiners with /Specifiers
- See also [1]
Principles and parameters theory

I'm not sure exactly how this particular minimalist theory fits in with all the rest. I learned it from Dr. Alan Manning of BYU. I'm going to do my best to expound its principles, but I am NOT copying this material form Dr. Manning's text. I'm putting this down as I have it in my brain, unless I have to look up a specific idea. I'm also trying to verify that the principles exist elsewhere in academia before putting them down here, so I don't spoil anybody's hot new research or otherwise step on any toes.

References[edit]

Fundamentals of English Syntax, Version 2.0, Andrew McIntyre.
Survival Syntax: An Introduction to Minimalism (pre-print trial edition), Alan D. Manning.