Born to Parse

An argument that children are born to assign structures to their ambient language, yielding a view of language variation not based on parameters defined at UG. In this book, David Lightfoot argues that just as some birds are born to chirp, humans are born to parse—predisposed to assign linguistic st...

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Váldodahkki: Lightfoot, David W.
Materiálatiipa: Online
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Almmustuhtton: The MIT Press 2022
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Liŋkkat:ONIX_20220221_9780262358866_111
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author Lightfoot, David W.
author_browse Lightfoot, David W.
author_facet Lightfoot, David W.
author_sort Lightfoot, David W.
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description An argument that children are born to assign structures to their ambient language, yielding a view of language variation not based on parameters defined at UG. In this book, David Lightfoot argues that just as some birds are born to chirp, humans are born to parse—predisposed to assign linguistic structures to their ambient external language. This approach to language acquisition makes two contributions to the development of Minimalist thinking. First, it minimizes grammatical theory, dispensing with three major entities: parameters; an evaluation metric for the selection of grammars; and any independent parsing mechanism. Instead, Lightfoot argues, children parse their ambient external language using their internal language. Universal Grammar is “open,” consistent with what children learn through parsing with their internal language system. Second, this understanding of language acquisition yields a new view of variable properties in language—properties that occur only in certain languages. Under the open UG vision, very specific language particularities arise in response to new parses. Both external and internal languages play crucial, interacting roles: unstructured, amorphous external language is parsed and an internal language system results. Lightfoot explores case studies that show such innovative parses of external language in the history of English: development of modal verbs, loss of verb movement, and nineteenth-century changes in the syntax of the verb to be. He then discusses how children learn through parsing; the role of parsing at the syntactic structure's interface with the externalization system and logical form; language change; and variable properties seen through the lens of an open UG.
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spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-785912024-03-24T21:08:30Z Born to Parse Lightfoot, David W. Parameters Universal Grammar parsing language acquisition variable properties syntactic change internal language external language learnability phase transitions domino effects interfaces population biology individualism Darwin's finches Scandinavian languages English thema EDItEUR::C Language and Linguistics::CF Linguistics::CFD Psycholinguistics and cognitive linguistics::CFDC Language acquisition thema EDItEUR::C Language and Linguistics::CF Linguistics::CFK Grammar, syntax and morphology thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTK Cognitive studies An argument that children are born to assign structures to their ambient language, yielding a view of language variation not based on parameters defined at UG. In this book, David Lightfoot argues that just as some birds are born to chirp, humans are born to parse—predisposed to assign linguistic structures to their ambient external language. This approach to language acquisition makes two contributions to the development of Minimalist thinking. First, it minimizes grammatical theory, dispensing with three major entities: parameters; an evaluation metric for the selection of grammars; and any independent parsing mechanism. Instead, Lightfoot argues, children parse their ambient external language using their internal language. Universal Grammar is “open,” consistent with what children learn through parsing with their internal language system. Second, this understanding of language acquisition yields a new view of variable properties in language—properties that occur only in certain languages. Under the open UG vision, very specific language particularities arise in response to new parses. Both external and internal languages play crucial, interacting roles: unstructured, amorphous external language is parsed and an internal language system results. Lightfoot explores case studies that show such innovative parses of external language in the history of English: development of modal verbs, loss of verb movement, and nineteenth-century changes in the syntax of the verb to be. He then discusses how children learn through parsing; the role of parsing at the syntactic structure's interface with the externalization system and logical form; language change; and variable properties seen through the lens of an open UG. 2022-02-21T15:12:48Z 2022-02-21T15:12:48Z 2020 book ONIX_20220221_9780262358866_111 9780262358866 9780262044097 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/78591 eng The MIT Press image/jpeg n/a https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/12799.001.0001 The MIT Press The MIT Press ae0cf962-f685-4933-93d1-916defa5123d 9780262358866 9780262044097 The MIT Press 210 Cambridge open access
spellingShingle Parameters
Universal Grammar
parsing
language acquisition
variable properties
syntactic change
internal language
external language
learnability
phase transitions
domino effects
interfaces
population biology
individualism
Darwin's finches
Scandinavian languages
English
thema EDItEUR::C Language and Linguistics::CF Linguistics::CFD Psycholinguistics and cognitive linguistics::CFDC Language acquisition
thema EDItEUR::C Language and Linguistics::CF Linguistics::CFK Grammar, syntax and morphology
thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTK Cognitive studies
Lightfoot, David W.
Born to Parse
title Born to Parse
title_full Born to Parse
title_fullStr Born to Parse
title_full_unstemmed Born to Parse
title_short Born to Parse
title_sort born to parse
topic Parameters
Universal Grammar
parsing
language acquisition
variable properties
syntactic change
internal language
external language
learnability
phase transitions
domino effects
interfaces
population biology
individualism
Darwin's finches
Scandinavian languages
English
thema EDItEUR::C Language and Linguistics::CF Linguistics::CFD Psycholinguistics and cognitive linguistics::CFDC Language acquisition
thema EDItEUR::C Language and Linguistics::CF Linguistics::CFK Grammar, syntax and morphology
thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTK Cognitive studies
topic_facet Parameters
Universal Grammar
parsing
language acquisition
variable properties
syntactic change
internal language
external language
learnability
phase transitions
domino effects
interfaces
population biology
individualism
Darwin's finches
Scandinavian languages
English
thema EDItEUR::C Language and Linguistics::CF Linguistics::CFD Psycholinguistics and cognitive linguistics::CFDC Language acquisition
thema EDItEUR::C Language and Linguistics::CF Linguistics::CFK Grammar, syntax and morphology
thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTK Cognitive studies
url ONIX_20220221_9780262358866_111
work_keys_str_mv AT lightfootdavidw borntoparse