The Syntax–Discourse Interface
Representing and interpreting dependency
This book combines theoretical and experimental aspects of the establishment of dependency. It provides an account of dependency relations by focusing on the representation and interpretation of referentially dependent elements, particularly regular reflexives, logophors, and pronouns. First, the establishment of dependency is discussed within a model of syntax–discourse correspondences that predicts an economy-based dependency hierarchy contingent on the level of representation at which the dependency is formed as well as the internal structure of the dependent element and its antecedent. Secondly, the model’s predictions are substantiated by a series of experimental studies (conducted in English and Dutch) providing evidence from three sources of online sentence comprehension: reaction time studies, Broca’s aphasia patient studies, and event-related brain potential studies. The findings show that dependencies are established at distinct levels of linguistic encoding (i.e. syntax or discourse) determined by the presence or absence of coargumenthood and the representation of the dependency-forming elements.
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today, 80] 2005. xii, 259 pp.
Publishing status: Available
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Table of Contents
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Preface | p. xi
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Introduction | pp. 1–14
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Coreference: Representational background | pp. 15–58
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Syntax-discourse correspondances: The model | pp. 59–101
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Evidence from processing: CMLD interference paradigm | pp. 103–151
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Evidence from processing: Aphasia research | pp. 153–170
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Evidence from processing: Event-related potentials | pp. 171–213
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The syntax-discourse interface: Representation and processing | pp. 215–220
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Notes | pp. 221–238
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Index | pp. 257–259
“Drawing on results from cross-modal studies, from aphasiology, and from ERP research, not to mention a range of current descriptive frameworks characterizing antecedent–anaphor relations under a variety of grammatical and semantic conditions, Petra Burkhardt has produced significant work that represents essential reading for anyone investigating the syntax–discourse interface and brain/language research.”
Laurence R. Horn, Yale University
“I immensely enjoyed reading this book. It is a must for anyone interested in the way our mind processes language. It offers an intriguing perspective on the relation between the architecture of the grammar and the organization of the human interpretive system.”
Eric Reuland, Utrecht institute of Linguistics OTS
“Burkhardt's work represents a comprehensive and careful application of psycholinguistic methods to one of the most interesting linguistic issues, that is the issue of linguistic dependencies. Having conducted a series of well-designed and creative experiments, Burkhardt is able to demonstrate how theoretical considerations find a direct reflection in the way language system is organized. A wide variety of experiments ranging from studies with Broca's aphasics to EEG/ERP experimentation with unimpaired adults make the claims particularly strong. A very well written and deeply informed linguistically, this book will be of clear interest both to students and professionals in many fields of psycholinguistics.”
Sergey Avrutin, Head of the Experimental Psycholinguistics Research Department, Utrecht University
Cited by (6)
Cited by six other publications
García-Tejada, Aída
2024. Direct object anaphora resolution in L1 English-L2 Spanish. Revista Española de Lingüística Aplicada/Spanish Journal of Applied Linguistics 37:2 ► pp. 591 ff.
Catasso, Nicholas, Marco Coniglio & Chiara De Bastiani
2022. Interface phenomena and language change. In Language Change at the Interfaces [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today, 275], ► pp. 1 ff.
Bekemeier, Natalia, Dorothea Brenner, Anne Klepp, Katja Biermann-Ruben, Peter Indefrey & Marte Otten
Cruschina, Silvio, Adam Ledgeway & Eva-Maria Remberger
2019. The dialects of Italy at the interfaces. In Italian Dialectology at the Interfaces [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today, 251], ► pp. 1 ff.
Romero, Rey & Sandro Sessarego
2018. Chapter 3. Hard come, easy go. In Language Variation and Contact-Induced Change [Current Issues in Linguistic Theory, 340], ► pp. 63 ff.
Sessarego, Sandro & Rajiv Rao
2016. On the simplification of a prosodic inventory. In Inquiries in Hispanic Linguistics [Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, 12], ► pp. 171 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 18 july 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.
Subjects
Main BIC Subject
CF: Linguistics
Main BISAC Subject
LAN009000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General