Research ArticleOpen AccessGoogle Scholar indexed
Advancements in Understanding the Syntax-Discourse/Syntax-Pragmatics Interface<br>—Review of Shigeru Miyagawa (2022): <i>Syntax in the Treetops</i>
Faculty of English Language and Culture, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
School of Foreign Studies, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Loudi, China
School of Foreign Studies, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, China
- 1 Faculty of English Language and Culture, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
- 2 School of Foreign Studies, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Loudi, China
- 3 School of Foreign Studies, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, China
Open Journal of Modern Linguistics·Volume 14 (2024)·Pages 199–208·Published 28 March 2024·DOI10.4236/ojml.2024.142011
Copy link · social · email
Abstract
“Syntax in the Treetop” represents the latest groundbreaking work by MIT linguist Miyagawa, offering profound insights into syntactic structures at the top of the syntactic tree. It addresses critical issues in understanding the interface between syntax and discourse/pragmatics, particularly in the emerging field of syntacticization of discourse information. This paper provides an overview of the key concepts presented in the book, elucidating Professor Miyagawa’s innovative ideas on expanding syntax into the domain of discourse. Our review highlights several significant contributions made by the author, including advancements in the theory of left periphery in syntactic cartography, the crucial role of syntax in speech acts and conveying meaning, and the essential distinction between human language and animal communication systems.
Keywords<i>Syntax in the Treetop</i>Syntax-Discourse/Syntax-Pragmatics Interface
- Austin, J. L. (1962). How to Do Things with Words . Oxford University Press.
- Catasso, N. (2023). Shigeru Miyagawa, Syntax in the Treetops (Linguistic Inquiry Monographs). Cambridge, MA & London: MIT Press, 2022. Pp. xviii 234. Journal of Li n guistics, 59, 459-463. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022226723000026
- Chomsky, N. (2010). Some Simple Evo Devo Theses: How True Might They Be for Language. In R. K. Larson, V. Déprez, & H. Yamakido (Eds.), The Evolution of Human Language: Biolinguistic Perspectives (pp. 54-62). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511817755.003
- Cinque, G., & Rizzi, L. (2010). Mapping Spatial PPs: The Cartography of Syntactic Stru c tures, Volume 6 . Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195393675.001.0001
- Emonds, J. (1970). Root and Structure-Preserving Transformations . Doctoral Dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Geurts, B. (2019). Communication as Commitment Sharing: Speech Acts, Implications, Common Ground. Theoretical Linguistics, 45, 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1515/tl-2019-0001
- Haegeman, L., & Hill, V. (2014). The Syntactization of Discourse. In R. Folli, C. Sevdali, & R. Truswell (Eds.), Syntax and Its Limits (PP. 370-390). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199683239.003.0018
- Krifka, M. (2014). Embedding Illocutionary Acts. In T. Roeper, & M. Speas (Eds.), Recu r sion: Complexity in Cognition (pp. 125-155). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05086-7_4
- Krifka, M. (2019a). Commitments and Beyond. Theoretical Linguistics, 45, 73-91. https://doi.org/10.1515/tl-2019-0006
- Krifka, M. (2019b). Layers of Assertive Clauses: Propositions, Judgements , Commitments, Acts . Unpublished Manuscript, University of Leipzig. https://www.leibniz-zas.de/en/people/details/krifka-manfred/presentations/
- Krifka, M. (2020). Layers of Assertive Clauses: Propositions, Judgements , Commitments, Acts . Unpublished Manuscript.
- Miyagawa, S. (2012). Agreements That Occur Mainly in Main Clauses. In L. Aelbrecht, L. Haegeman, & R. Nye (Eds.), Main Clause Phenomena: New Horizons (pp. 79-112). John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/la.190.04miy
- Miyagawa, S. (2017). Agreement beyond Phi . MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/10958.001.0001
- Portner, P., Pak, M., & Zanuttini, R. (2019). The Addressee at the Syntax-Semantics Interface: Evidence from Politeness and Speech Style. Language, 95, 1-36. https://doi.org/10.1353/lan.2019.0008