Book contents
- Adventures in English Syntax
- Adventures in English Syntax
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Additional material
- 1 an adventure in ambiguity with one fish two fish
- 2 exceptional students and teachers
- 3 Introduction to Language and Linguistics
- 4 a review of a book by two philosophers
- 5 Bob is certain to succeed.
- 6 It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
- 7 Does every politician who cheats instinctively lie?
- 8 Inferior defenses could then, as now, be tackled, as Vernon did at Porto Bello, Exmouth at Algiers, & Seymour at Alexandria.
- Glossary
- References
- Index
3 - Introduction to Language and Linguistics
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2020
- Adventures in English Syntax
- Adventures in English Syntax
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Additional material
- 1 an adventure in ambiguity with one fish two fish
- 2 exceptional students and teachers
- 3 Introduction to Language and Linguistics
- 4 a review of a book by two philosophers
- 5 Bob is certain to succeed.
- 6 It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
- 7 Does every politician who cheats instinctively lie?
- 8 Inferior defenses could then, as now, be tackled, as Vernon did at Porto Bello, Exmouth at Algiers, & Seymour at Alexandria.
- Glossary
- References
- Index
Summary
Expands the discussion of coordinate structures started in the previous chapter to another kind to syntactic ambiguity involving a prepositional phrase in the title of the Princeton University introductory linguistics course: Introduction to Language and Linguistics. On one interpretation, the left conjunct is only Language; while on the other, it is Introduction to Language. Each interpretation corresponds to a unique hierarchical structure. To determine why one interpretation is more appropriate than the other, it is necessary to consider the meaning of the words language and linguistics, including how they relate. This leads to a basic discussion of what a language is and what language is from the perspective of modern linguistics. This chapter wraps up the analysis of coordinate structures with a discussion of the use and misuse of coordinate structures in writing. It demonstrates how coordinate structures can be a source of ambiguity, redundancy, and vagueness—all hallmarks of poor writing.
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- Information
- Adventures in English Syntax , pp. 25 - 52Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020