Conflict resolution in syntactic theory
Edith A. Moravcsik | Professor emerita, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
The paper investigates conflicts that arise in syntactic description and the resolutions of these conflicts. I will identify four logical possibilities of resolving conflicts and will cite examples from the syntactic literature for each. It will further be suggested that conflict resolution is a common goal of otherwise different linguistic theories in and outside syntax, and that it goes a long way towards motivating argumentation both in other sciences and in everyday discourse. The basic theme of the paper is that just as the study of languages provides a window into human cognition, so does the study of metalanguages — the conceptual apparatus employed by linguists in describing languages. Partonomy (whole-part relations) and taxonomy (type-subtype relations) will be represented as shared tools across various domains of human thought, with both relations serving a shared goal: resolving conflicts.
Keywords: conflict, syntactic theory, conflict resolution, prototype, canon, taxonomy, partonomy
Published online: 07 January 2011
https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.34.3.05mor
https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.34.3.05mor
Cited by
Cited by 7 other publications
Bloem, Jelke, Arjen Versloot & Fred Weerman
Escandell-Vidal, Victoria
Escandell-Vidal, Victoria & Manuel Leonetti
Kertész, András
Kertész, András & Csilla Rákosi
Nkollo, Mikołaj & Alexandra Fiéis
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 18 april 2022. 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.