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In:Interfaces in Grammar
Edited by Jianhua Hu and Haihua Pan
[Language Faculty and Beyond 15] 2019
► pp. 9–24

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Chapter 2
Unifying UG and language variation

 | University of California, Los Angeles
Published online: 15 April 2019
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https://doi.org/10.1075/lfab.15.02kee
Abstract
We consider the problem of formulating universal generalizations about natural languages given that as work on grammars of particular languages proceeds with increasing precision and detail, the specific form of and conditions on rules increasingly diverges. Formally the problem becomes one of how to generalize over non-isomorphic structures.
Article outline
  • 1.A challenge in linguistic theory
  • 2.A Binding Theory example
    • 2.1Definition of structure
    • 2.2Semantic definitions of anaphor and R-expression (Keenan 1989)
  • 3.Anaphora universals over non-isomorphic languages
    • 3.1Mini-English (Eng)
    • 3.2Mini-Batak (Batak) (Schachter 1984)
    • 3.3Mini-Korean (Kor) (Park 1986)
    • 3.4Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
  • Appendix
References (12)
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