The Morphosyntax of Negative Markers: A Nanosyntactic Account

Karen De Clercq

Published by De Gruyter Mouton 2020

The Morphosyntax of Negative Markers

A Nanosyntactic Account

Karen De Clercq

Volume 144 in the series Studies in Generative Grammar [SGG]

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501513756

Overview
Contents

About this book

This book applies the tools of nanosyntax to the natural language phenomenon of negation. Most work on negation is concerned with the study of sentence negation, while low scope negation or constituent negation is hardly ever systematically discussed in the literature. The present book aims to fill that gap, by investigating scopally different negative markers in a sample of 23 typologically diverse languages. A four-way classification of negative markers is argued for and it is shown how meaningful syncretism patterns arise across those four groups of negative markers in the language sample investigated. The syncretisms are meaningful in that they track the natural semantic scope of negation, and provide support to the idea that morphology is not arbitrary, but points to submorphemic structure. Consequently, this study leads to a decomposition of the negative morpheme into five privative features: Tense, Focus, Classification, Quantity and Negation proper. Finally, the book argues that sentence, constituent and lexical negation can all be treated in the same module of the grammar, i.e. syntax.

Author / Editor information

Karen De Clercq, Ghent University/ FWO, Ghent, Belgium.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	V
Acknowledgment Publicly Available Download PDF	IX
Part I: Aims and background
1. Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	3
2. Theoretical background: Nanosyntax Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	9
Part II: The internal structure of negative markers
3. Classification of negative markers Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	31
4. The crosslinguistic morphosyntax of negative markers Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	61
5. The internal syntax of a negative marker Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	143
Part III: Negative markers and their clausal syntax in English and French
6. The external syntax of negative markers in English Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
7. Diachronic change in French Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	192
Part IV: Remaining issues
8. Other syntactic perspectives on negation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	205
9. Semantics Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	216
10. Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	230
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	233
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	249

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter Mouton
Audience: Researchers, students in the study of languages, including philosophers and logicians
Pages
- Front matter: 10
- Main content: 252
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 2
- Coloured Illustrations: 6
- Tables: 480
Keywords: Negation; Adjectives; Typology; Nanosyntax

eBook

Published: June 8, 2020
ISBN: 9781501513756

Hardcover

Published: June 8, 2020
ISBN: 9781501520068

Paperback

Published: July 18, 2022
ISBN: 9781501527326