Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10461149 | Lingua | 2005 | 27 Pages |
Abstract
This paper explores the relation of grammaticality to acceptability through a discussion of the use of resumptive pronouns in spoken English. It is argued that undergeneration by some grammar of observed linguistic phenomena such as these is as serious a problem for theoretical frameworks as overgeneration, and that it has consequences for the way in which grammaticality and acceptability are to be construed. Using the framework of Dynamic Syntax, a theoretical account of relative clauses and anaphora construal is provided from which the use of resumptive pronouns in English emerges as a natural consequence. The fact that examples are considered by native speakers to be unacceptable in neutral contexts is argued to follow from pragmatic effects, explicable from a Relevance Theoretic perspective.
Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities
Arts and Humanities
Language and Linguistics
Authors
Ronnie Cann, Tami Kaplan, Ruth Kempson,