1-Principles-and-parameters

1PrinciplesandparametersContents1.1Overview1.2Grammar1.3Criteriaofadequacy1.4Languagefaculty1.5Creativity1.6Principles1.7Parameters1.8Parameter-setting1.9Evidence1.10Summary1Principlesandparameters•1.1Overview•A.Contents:•Thenatureofgrammar•Theacquisitionofgrammar•B.Approach:•ThePrinciplesandParametersModel•C.Source:•LecturesonGovernmentandBinding(1981)•TheMinimalistProgram(1995)1Principlesandparameters•1.2Grammar•A.Traditionaldefinitionofgrammar•Grammar=Morphology+Syntax•i.e.theprinciplesofformationandinterpretationofwords,phrases,andsentences•E.g.(1)a.man-eater•b.man-made•(2)a.WhodidyouseeMarywith?•b.*WhodidyouseeMaryand?•(3)Flyingkitescanbedangerous.1Principlesandparameters•B.TheTGGdefinitionofgrammar•(i)Competencevs.performance•Competence:thefluentnativespeaker’stacitknowledgeofgrammarofthelanguage•Performance:theactualuseoflanguageinconcretesituations,i.e.whatpeopleactuallysayorunderstandbywhatsomeoneelsesaysonagivenoccasion1Principlesandparameters•(ii)Performanceerrors:Misunderstandingandmisinterpretation•tiredness,boredom,drunkenness,drugs,externaldistractions,etc.•(iii)Thesubjectmatterofgrammar:grammaticalcompetence[I-language,i.e.internalizedknowledgeofgrammaticalityandinterpretationwithinhumanbrain/mind]•thecognitiveapproachtogrammar:introspectiveevidence1Principlesandparameters•Forexample:•(4)a.Ifyoudon’tknowthemeaningofaword,lookitupinadictionary.•b.*Ifyoudon’tknowthemeaningofaword,lookupitinadictionary.•(5)SamlovesyoumorethanJim.•a.SamlovesyoumorethanJimlovesyou.•b.SamlovesyoumorethanhelovesJim.1Principlesandparameters•1.3Criteriaofadequacy•A.Descriptiveadequacy•grammaticalityandinterpretation1Principlesandparameters•B.Explanatoryadequacy:(i)Universality:Universalgrammar•thedefiningcharacteristicsofnaturallanguagesvs.artificiallanguage/animalcommunicativesystems•(ii)Learnability:atheoryoftheacquisitionofgrammar(i.e.theneurophysiologicalmechanismtoacquirelanguage)•(iii)Minimalism:theminimalistprogramforlinguistictheory(i.e.tominimizethetheoreticalanddescriptiveapparatususedtodescribethelanguage)1Principlesandparameters•1.4Languagefaculty•A.Thestagesoftheacquisitionofgrammar:howandwhendochildrendevelopaninitialgrammarofthelanguagetheyareacquiring,andwhatarethesubsequentstagestheygothroughintheirgrammaticaldevelopment:•(i)Initialstage:12months•(ii)Single-wordstage:12-18months•(iii)Theacquisitionofgrammar:18-30months•a)Productiveuseofinflections•b)Elementarytwo-andthree-wordutterances1Principlesandparameters•B.Theuniformityandrapidityofchildren’slinguisticdevelopmentoffirstlanguageacquisition•C.Languagefaculty/languageacquisitionprogram:biologicallyendowedinnatemechanismwithinthebrain•D.TheChomskyanconceptionoftheacquisitionprocessoflanguage•ExperienceofLLanguagefacultyGrammarofL1Principlesandparameters•E.Theinnatenesshypothesis•(i)Species-specificness:Theinnatelanguagefacultyisuniquetohumans•(ii)Independenceofgeneralintelligence•(iii)Uniformityinthepatternofacquisition•(iv)Rapidityofacquisition•Theabilitytoacquireanativelanguageispartofourgeneticendowment1Principlesandparameters•1.5Creativity•A.Creativityoflanguage:thespeaker’sabilitytoproduceandunderstandnewsentences•Thenormaluseoflanguageisinnovativeinthesensethatmuchofwhatsayinthecourseofnormallanguageuseisentirelynew,notarepetitionofanythingthatwehaveheardbefore,andnotevensimilarinpattern–inanyusefulsenseoftheterms“similar”and“pattern”–tosentencesordiscoursethatwehaveheardinthepast.(Chomsky1972a,p.12)1Principlesandparameters•(i)Thecreativeviewoflanguageacquisition•Cf.theimitativeviewoflanguageacquisition:theMemeTheory/Intertextuality•(ii)Productionerrors:over-generalization•E.g.(6)wanted,loved,stopped,carried•comed,goed,seed,bringed•Theinherentlycreativenatureoflanguageacquisitionmakesitaqualitativelydifferentprocessfromanimallearningbehavior.1Principlesandparameters•1.6Principles•A.Structuredependentprinciple:Allgrammaticaloperationsarestructure-dependent.(i.e.Allgrammaticaloperationsaresensitivetothegrammaticalstructureofthesentencetheyapply.E.g.•(7)a.Memorieswillfadeaway.•b.Willmemoriesfadeaway?•(8)a.Memoriesofhappinesswillfadeaway.•b.*Ofmemorieshappinesswillfadeaway.1Principlesandparameters•B.UGprinciplesorprinciplesofUG:universalgrammaticalprinciples•ExperienceofLUGGrammarofL1Principlesandparameters•1.7Parameters•A.Parameterizedaspectsofstructure:thoseaspectsofstructurewhicharesubjecttolanguage-particularvariation.E.g.•(9)a.Memoriesofhappinesswillfadeaway.•b.Willmemoriesofhappinessfadeaway?•(10)a.快乐的记忆会逐渐消逝。•b.快乐的记忆会逐渐消逝吗？•(11)a.Whatdoyouthinkhewillsay?•b.你相信他会说什么?•youthinkhewillsaywhat?1Principlesandparameters•1.8Parameter-setting•A.Parameter-setting:determininganappropriatesettingforeachoftherelevantstructuralparameters•B.ThePrinciplesandParametersTheory•Theprinciplesandparametersmodeloflanguageacquisitionenablesustoprovideaprincipledexplanationforwhychildrenmanagetolearntherelativelinguisticstructureinarapidanderror-freefashion.Ontheotherhand,givensuchanassumption,thechildcouldsettheparametercorrectlyonthebasisofminimallingu