_{Syntactic Theory}

Focus & Content

1. Traditional Grammar (Advanced Topics)

Basic notions of syntax are explained in the section on Traditional Grammar of the Syntax module.

• Passive (discussed in the GB section and in the HPSG section)
• Binding Theory (discussed in the GB section and in the HPSG section)
• Unbounded dependencies
• Relative Clauses
  • Relative Clauses vs. Complement Clauses
  • Restrictive vs. Non-restrictive Relative Clauses
  • The Status of that

2. Government and Binding (GB)

• Knowledge of Language
  • The T-Model
• The Argument Structure of Predicates
  • Subcategorization
  • Argument Structure
  • Theta Theory
  • The Projection Principle
• X-Bar Theory
  • Graph Theoretical Concepts
    • C-command
    • M-command
    • Government
• Case Theory
  • Abstract vs. Morphological Case
• Binding Theory
  • Reflexives and Reciprocals
  • Pronouns
  • R-Expressions
• Wh-Movement
  • Introduction
    • Organization
    • General definition
  • Different Types and Constraints
    • Wh-Movement in the Main Clause
    • Constraints on Wh-movement
    • Wh-movement in the Relative Clause
    • Wh-movement in the Subordinate Clause
    • Pied-piping
  • Conclusion of Wh-movement
• NP-Movement
  • Passive
  • Raising?
  • Burzio's Generalization?

3. Head-driven Phrase Structure Grammar (HPSG)

• What is HPSG?
• Context-free Phrase Structure Grammar
• Formalism
  • Talking about trees
  • Feature Structures
    • Feature Graphs
    • Real Feature Structures
    • Attribute-Value-Matrices (AVMs)
    • How to draw AVMs in a common word processor
    • Correspondence between Feature Graphs and AVMs
    • Unification
• Selection
• Constituent Structure
  • Constituent Structure Trees
  • Grammar Rules
  • General Principles
  • Valence Principle
  • Argument Realization Principle
  • Specifier-Head Agreement
  • An Example
• Lexicon
  • Lexemes
  • Lexical Rules
• Binding Theory
• Passive
  • Introduction
  • Properties of the Active - Passive Relation
  • The Passive Lexical Rule
  • The Verb Be in Passive Sentences