Abstract
The core notion of modern Universal Grammar is that language ability requires abstract representation in terms of hierarchy, movement operations, abstract features on words, and fixed mapping to meaning. These mental structures are a step toward integrating representational knowledge of all kinds into a larger model of cognitive psychology. Examining first and second language at once provides clues as to how abstractly we should represent this knowledge. The abstract nature of grammar allows both the formulation of many grammars and the possibility that a rule of one grammar could apply to another grammar. We argue that every language contains Multiple Grammars which may reflect different language families. We develop numerous examples of how the same abstract rules can apply in various languages and develop a theory of how language modules (case-marking, topicalization, and quantification) interact to predict L2 acquisition paths. In particular we show in depth how Germanic Verb-second operations, based on Verb-final structure, can apply in English. The argument is built around how and where V2 from German can apply in English, seeking to explain the crucial contrast: “nothing” yelled out Bill/*“nothing” yelled Bill out in terms of the necessary abstractness of the V2 rule.
Highlights
Edited by: Terje Lohndal, Norwegian University of Science and Technology and UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway
We argue that Minimalism naturally forces an approach to every speaker’s grammatical knowledge in terms of Multiple Grammars (MG), which in turn enables sharp predictions about second language acquisition (L2) to arise
Language typology suggests that Universal Grammar (UG) captures a number of language families with simple alternations: VO or OV, Wh-movement, or non-wh-movement, Scope inversion or surface scope, Pragmatic Object deletion, or not (Hot/Cool distinction) It is natural to expect that every speaker will have all prototypes available—especially, but not exclusively, if they speak an L2 that carries them
Summary
The core notion of modern Universal Grammar is that language ability requires abstract representation in terms of hierarchy, movement operations, abstract features on words, and fixed mapping to meaning These mental structures are a step toward integrating representational knowledge of all kinds into a larger model of cognitive psychology. We argue that Minimalism naturally forces an approach to every speaker’s grammatical knowledge in terms of Multiple Grammars (MG), which in turn enables sharp predictions about second language acquisition (L2) to arise. Another virtue of modern minimalism is that it invites a new domain of data to be directly relevant to linguistic theory—and, we may reasonably expect, to pedagogical practice.
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