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Multiple long-distance scrambling: Syntax as reflections of processing1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 September 2009

RUTH KEMPSON  and
JIEUN KIAER
RUTH KEMPSON*
Affiliation:
King's College London
JIEUN KIAER*
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
*
Author's addresses: (Kempson) Department of Philosophy, King's College London, The Strand, London WC2R 2LS, UK[email protected]
(Kiaer) Oriental Institute, University of Oxford, Pusey Lane, Oxford OX1 2LE, UK[email protected]
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Abstract

This paper argues that, with syntax defined as progressive projection of semantic representations along the left-to-right dimension provided by the sequence of words (Cann, Kempson & Marten 2005), explanations for local and (multiple) nonlocal scrambling of NPs in Japanese and Korean follow from general principles of tree growth, allowing differences between the languages while nevertheless retaining an integrated account of scrambling itself. This formalism is similar to the parsing mechanism of Miyamoto (2002), but goes further in using this as the base grammar formalism, with all concepts of movement replaced by progressive articulation of structural underspecification and tree growth starting from the left periphery. The account extends the analysis of Japanese scrambling of Cann et al. to encompass multiple long-distance scrambling, capturing both the attendant relative locality restriction on the constituents moved, and interaction of this restriction with scope-construal effects. Scope-construal variability is expressible as interaction between individual lexical specifications for the two languages and general constraints on scope construal; and the relative locality constraint on the construal of the expressions involved in multiple long-distance scrambling is an immediate consequence of the general dynamics of the framework. The resulting account extends Hawkins' (2004) program of defining grammars relative to performance considerations.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Linguistics , Volume 46 , Issue 1 , March 2010 , pp. 127 - 192
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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Footnotes

[1]

This paper has evolved over a number of years. We thank Ronnie Cann, Eleni Gregoromichelaki, Stergios Chatzikyriakidis, and Miriam Bouzouita for regular and often detailed support in developing ideas, Wilfried Meyer-Viol for high standards of formal rigour, Hiroto Hoshi for sharpening our understanding of current scrambling issues and the relevance of our own emergent account to these, and many others for comments and ongoing discussion during the preparation of the revised version of this paper. There are many more whose comments have helped to tighten the account; yet none can be blamed for the final result. For help with judgements, discussion and transcription of the Japanese data, we thank Akiko Kurosawa, Yoshiki Mori, Hiroaki Nakamura, Shinichiro Okajima, Masayuki Otsuka, Yo Sato, Tohru Seraku, Ken-ichiro Shirai, Hiroyuki Uchida, Aiko Yamanaka, and Kei Yoshimoto. We also thank the anonymous JL referees and Orin Gensler, whose comments led to considerable improvement in contents and style of this paper.

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