Overview

English word formation has two disruptive problems which this book will address. Firstly, it presents a consistent theory of `compounding’. There is a long-standing dispute in the literature as to whether certain constructions (e.g. LONDON ROAD) are compound words or syntactic phrases. Secondly, the book suggests an alternative to the commonly assumed sharp division of the grammar into the `lexicon’ and the `syntax’. The book illustrates a grammar that is rather different from that envisaged in Lexicalism and provides a better understanding of some of the most recalcitrant problems in English word formation.

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9780748624614

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"I will argue that Giegerich's study raises a number of important questions which have so far not received the attention they deserve and which have much wider implications than the problem of English compounding. By exploring these questions from the vantage point of a single, relatively well understood phenomenon, Giegerich has been able to put some of those questions into sharp relief and has therefore issued an important challenge to those who wish to understand the more general relationship between morphology, syntax and semantics.--Andrew Spencer, Universit of Essex ""Word Structure"" There is a great deal of food for thought in the material G. presents. The discussion of different kinds of attribution is clearer than I have seen elsewhere, the problems of trying to distinguish syntactic NNs from lexical NNs by a number of (largely syntactic) tests is carried out in great detail and with thought to the overall pattern of interaction between lexical and syntactic factors, the problems with a modular approach to morphology and syntax are explored in detail by someone who has been an exponent of just such a modular approach, the differences between various compound types are presented clearly. There is no doubt that this is a major contribution to the literature on this area of grammar (and so, incidentally, a promising start for Edinburgh University Press's new series).--Laurie Bauer, Victoria University of Wellington"

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This book makes two major contributions to our understanding of the formal grammar of English. Firstly, it presents a coherent theory of 'compounding' in English. There is a long-standing but unresolved dispute in the literature as to whether certain constructions (e.g. LONDON ROAD, DENTAL TREATMENT) are compound words or syntactic phrases. The question is important because in other cases the distinction is clear-cut (RING ROAD, FREE TREATMENT respectively), and because it impinges on central assumptions regarding the organisation of the grammar. Secondly, the book suggests an alternative to the commonly assumed sharp division of the grammar into the 'lexicon' and the 'syntax'. Heinz Giegerich argues that the Lexicalist assumption of a sharp divide between the modules cannot be upheld and that the two modules overlap so that there are constructions in English that are simultaneously compound and phrase. He suggests an alternative, tripartite, structure comprising three successive, and significantly overlapping, modules: the lexicon proper, the morphology and the syntax. The book illustrates a grammar that is rather different from that envisaged in Lexicalism (while still retaining that theory's basic insights) and provides a better understanding of some of the most recalcitrant problems in English word formation.

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