Table of Contents
Volume 75
Number 1 (March 1999)

Articles
Grammatical constructions and linguistic generalizations: The What's X doing Y? construction	Paul Kay & Charles J. Fillmore	1
Why surface syntactic structure reflects logical structure as much as it does, but only that much	James D. McCawley	34
Quantifier scope in English, Chinese, and Japanese	Susumu Kuno, Ken-ichi Takami, & Yuru Wu	63
Obituary:
Zellig Sabbettai Harris	Peter Matthews	112
Reviews:
Baynton: Forbidden signs: American culture and the campaign against sign language	C. A. Padden	120
Zentella: Growing up bilingual: Puerto Rican children in New York	Y. Rivera-Castillo	123
Mühlhäusler: Linguistic ecology: Language change and linguistic imperialism in the Pacific region	P. T. Roberge	126
Ritchie & Bhatia (eds.): Handbook of second language acquisition	M. Thomas	128
Jusczyk: The discovery of spoken language	D. Ingram	131
Pinker: How the mind works	D. T. Langendoen	136
Kaye (ed.): Phonologies of Asia and Africa	G. Rubio	138
MacLaury: Color and cognition in Mesoamerica: Constructing categories as vantages	K. Allan	143
Trautmann: Aryans and British India	S. Steever	147
Regier: The human semantic potential: Spatial language and constrained connectionism	E. Casad	149
Hardcastle & Laver (eds.): The handbook of phonetic sciences	F. Ingemann	152
Mallory & Adams (eds.): Encyclopedia of Indo-European culture	W. P. Lehmann	154
Kropp Dakubu: Korle meets the sea: A sociolinguistic history of Accra	C. Myers-Scotton	158
Frawley: Vygotsky and cognitive science: Language and the unification of the social and computational mind	J. Stanlaw	161
Gopnik (ed.): The inheritance and innateness of grammars	A. Carstairs-McCarthy	164
Biber: Dimensions of register variation: A cross-linguistic comparison	T. E. Nunnally	166
Drechsel: Mobilian jargon: Linguistics and sociohistorical aspects of a Native American pidgin	R. Sabino	169
Book Notices		173
Publications Received		220

Back to index

Abstracts:

Grammatical constructions and linguistic generalizations: The What's X doing Y? construction

Paul Kay
Charles J. Fillmore
University of California, Berkeley

Our goal is to present, by means of the detailed analysis of a single grammatical problem, some of the principal commitments and mechanisms of a grammatical theory that assigns a central role to the notion of GRAMMATICAL CONSTRUCTION. To adopt a constructional approach is to undertake a commitment in principle to account for the entirety of each language. This means that the relatively general patterns of the language, such as the one licensing the ordering of a finite auxiliary verb before its subject in English, often known as SAI, and the highly idiomatic patterns, like kick the bucket, stand on an equal footing as data for which the grammar must account. An explicit grammar that covers the full range of constructions must represent all constructions, of whatever degree of generality or idiomaticity, in an common notation and must provide an explicit account of how each sentence of a language is licensed by a subset of the leaves of the inheritance hierarchy of constructions which constitutes the grammar of that language. Language-internal generalizations are captured inheritance relations among constructions. Cross-language generalizations are captured by the architecture of the representation system and by the sharing of abstract constructions across languages. The a particular grammatical phenomenon used here to introduce construction grammar (CG) is the construction that licenses the surprising syntactic and semantic features of a sentence like What are they doing resusciating constructions?

Back to index

Why surface syntactic structure reflects logical structure as much as it does, but only that much
James D. McCawley
University of Chicago

The hypotheses that (1) with regard at least to scope, deep structure is identical to logical structure, e.g. a quantified expression is a sister of the S that is its scope, and (2) the rules relating deep structure to surface apply according to a strict principle of cyclicity, explain both why there are many syntactic parallels between surface syntactic structure and logical structure (e.g. cases where surface c-command relations match logical scope relations) and why there are the derivations there are from these parallels (as when a tensed auxiliary verb can be in the scope of a floated quantifier, contrary to an otherwise valid generalization).
The approach is put to work in accounting for distinctions (explored in Heycock 1995) between cases in which anaphora constraints seem to require ' reconstruction' of an underlying structure vs, those that do not. The analysis, which exploits some hitherto overlooked details of logical structures and an improved statement of the restrictions on anaphoric relations, has no need of reconstruction.

Back to index

Quantifier scope in English, Chinese, and Japanese

Susumu Kuno
Harvard University
Ken-Ichi Takami
Tokyo Metropolitan University
Yuru Wu
Plainsboro, NJ

This article critically examines Aoun and Li's (1993) syntactic analysis of quantifier scope interpretations in English, Chinese, and Japanese, and it shows that (i) that there are serious theoretical problems with Aoun and Li's account of scope interpretations for the double object and topicalization constructions; (ii) there are ambiguous sentences that Aoun and Li's analysis predicts to be unambiguous ; and (iii) there are unambiguous sentences which their analysis predicts to be ambiguous. While problem (iii) makes their analysis insufficient, problems (i) and (ii) make it untenable. We propose a quantifier scope analysis that is free from any of the above three problems. We claim that quantifier scope interpretations of a given sentence result from the interactions of various principles, some syntactic, others nonsyntactic. We propose an expert system that takes all these principles into consideration, and arrives at a composite opinion of the relative strengths of the potential scope interpretations of a given sentence. We speculate that wide idiolectal variations in quantifier scope interpretations are due to differences among speakers on the relative weights these principles receive in their respective expert systems.

Back to index

BOOK NOTICES IN THIS ISSUE

• Kretzschmar & Schneider: Introduction to quantitative analysis of linguistic survey data: An atlas by the numbers M. J. Gordon 173
• Van Bekkum et al.: The emergence of semantics in four linguistic traditions: Hebrew, Sanskrit, Greek, Arabic Alan. S. Kaye 173
• Eid & Parkinson (eds.): Perspectives on Arabic linguistics IX A. S. Kaye 174
• Davidsen-Nielsen: Sentence analysis, valency, and the concept of adject D. Noël 175
• Becker: Beyond translation: Essays toward a modern philology M. C. Rosa 176
• Rudanko: Pragmatic approaches to Shakespeare N. Schilling-Estes 176
• Clahsen (ed.): Generative perspectives on language acquisition M. Thomas 177
• Swiggers (ed.): Language and linguistics: Aims, perspectives, and duties of linguistics M. Thomas 178
• Lippi-Green & Salmons (eds.): Germanic linguistics: Syntactic and diachronic C. van Kerckvoorde 179
• Offord (ed.): A reader in French sociolinguistics D. C. Walker 179
• Niang: Constraints on Pulaar phonology C. R. Wiltshire 180
• Nordlander: Towards a semantics of linguistic time: Exploring some basic time concepts with
  special reference to English and Krio M. Aceto 181
• Stocker: Wer spricht Esperanto? Kiu parolas Esperanton? E. Ben-Ezra 181
• Bartholomew et al. (eds.): Panorama de los estudios de las lenguas indígenas de México W. Bright 182
• Hatim & Mason: The translator as communicator L. Card 182
• Bondre-Beil: Parameter der Syntax U. Demske 183
• Duranti: Linguistic anthropology N. C. Dorian 184
• Abraham et al. (eds.): Minimal ideas: Syntactic studies in the minimalist framework M. Kappus 184
• De Rooij: Cohesion through contrast: Discourse structure
  n Shaba Swahili/French conversations K. Legère 185
• Czaykowska-Higgins & Kinkade (eds.): Salish languages and linguistics: Theoretical and descriptive perspectives T. Roberts 186
• Dayal: Locality in WH quantification: Questions and relative clauses in Hindi M. Romero 187
• Wardini (ed.): Built on solid rock: Studies in honour of Prefessor Ebbe Egede Knudsen on the occasion of his
  65th birthday G. Rubio 187
• Bybee et al. (eds.): Essays on language function and language type dedicated to T. Givón C. Rubino 188
• Landsberg (ed.): Syntactic iconicity and linguistic freezes: The human dimension J. W. Sew 189
• Becker & Carroll (eds.): The acquisition of spatial relations in second language M. Thomas 189
• Brent (ed.): Computational approaches to language acquisition P. A. Watters 190
• Levy: Computer-assisted language learning: Context and conceptualization T. Yamaguchi 191
• Dunbar: Grooming, gossip, and the evolution of language W. J. Turkel 191
• De Haan: The interaction of modality and negation: A typological study C. Bowern 193
• Kageyama (ed.): Verb semantics and syntactic structure K. S. Chung 193
• Ebert: The structure of Kiranti languages: Comparative grammar and texts P. S. Ding 194
• Müller (ed.): Language status in the post-cold-war era P.S. Ding 194
• Hinskens: Dialect levelling in Limburg: Structural and sociolinguistic aspects N. C. Dorian 195
• Johnson & Meinhof (eds.): Language and masculinity T. C. Frazer 196
• Ogihara: Tense, attitudes and scope J. Gutierrez-Rexach 196
• Bartsch: Situations, tense, and aspect J. Gutierrez-Rexach 197
• Perfetti et al. (eds.): Learning to spell: Research, theory and practice across languages B. Jirsa 198
• Holmer: A parametric grammar of Seediq M. Klamer 198
• De Groot & Kroll (eds.): Tutorials in bilingualism:Psycholinguistic perspectives M-W. Lee 199
• Holloway: Dialect death: The case of Brule Spanish G. A. Lorenzino 200
• Singh (ed.): Trubetzkoy's orphan: Proceedings of the Montréal Roundtable 'Morphology: Contemporary responses' M. Maxwell 200
• Evans: A dictionary of Japanese loanwords D. R. McCreary 201
• Cannon & Warren (eds.): The Japanese contributions to the English language: An historical dictionary D. R. McCreary 202
• Gloning: Bedeutung, Gebrauch und sprachliche Handlung:
  Ansätze und Probleme einer handlungstheoretischen
  Semantik aus linguistischer Sicht I. Piller 203
• Pütz (ed.): Language choices: Conditions, constraints and consequences I. Piller 203
• Janhunen: Manchuria: An ethnic history L. J. Whaley 204
• Alexiadou & Hall (eds.): Studies on universal grammar and typological variation L. J. Whaley 204
• Jacobson (ed.): Codeswitching worldwide S. M. Burt 205
• Saeed: Semantics P. W. Davis 206
• Greenberg: The Balkan Slavic appellative M. J. Elson 207
• Mosegaard-Hansen: The function of discourse particles: A study with special reference to spoken
  standard French S. Fleischman 208
• Hegedüs et al. (eds.): Indo-European, Nostratic and beyond: Festschrift for Vitalij V. Shevoroshkin A. P. Grant 209
• Payne: Describing morphosyntax: A guide for field linguists A. P. Grant 209
• Graham: Effective language learning A. P. Grant 210
• Goebl et al. (eds.): Kontaktlinguistik--contact linguistics--linguistique de contact: Ein internationales
  Handbuch der zeitgenössichen Forschung A. P. Grant 210
• Thornell: The Sango language and its lexicon A. P. Grant 211
• Eggington & Wren (eds.): Language policy: Dominant English, pluralist challenges D. Kilpert 211
• McGregor (ed.): The Oxford Hindi-English dictionary M. Knight 212
• Schneider (ed.): Englishes around the world: Studies in honour of Manfred Görlach. Vol. 1: General studies, British Isles, North America; Vol. 2: Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Australia J. M. Lipski 212
• Baker (ed.): From contact to creole and beyond J. McWhorter 214
• Baker & Syea (eds.): Changing meanings, changing functions: Papers relating to grammaticalization
  in contact language J. McWhorter 214
• Versteegh: The Arabic languages E. S. Ohlander 215
• Chelliah: A grammar of Meithei C. Rubino 216
• Mounin: Histoire de la linguistique: Des origines
  au XXe siècle M. Thomas 216
• Larson et al.: Semantica P. A. Watters 217
• Beaton: A practical dictionary of German usage P. E. Webber 218
• Zifonun et al.: Grammatik der deutschen Sprache P. E. Webber 218

---

Previous Issue	TOC Main page	Language Main page	Next Issue