01 / Reading Guide
Reading Guide
Who this book is for
For graduate linguistics students comparing theories after learning one framework in depth. It can also support advanced undergraduates with a strong syntax background. The purpose is to assess competing accounts of the same observations, so a reader should not approach it as a first vocabulary list for grammar.
Prerequisites
Have an introductory syntax course and familiarity with grammatical functions, constituency and argument structure. Be ready to learn formal representations and to follow detailed German examples with their analyses.
What it covers
Transformational and constraint-based approaches are presented through recurrent problems such as argument structure, passives, word order and long-distance dependencies. Later comparisons consider acquisition and psychological plausibility. The account has an authorial position; comparing frameworks productively requires identifying both empirical predictions and assumptions about what an explanation should achieve.
How to use it
Select one construction and keep its data constant while working through two analyses. Draw each representation, list the operations or constraints involved and ask which unobserved examples each predicts. Separate a different notation from a substantive theoretical disagreement. Return to the foundational terminology whenever an apparent contrast depends on definitions rather than evidence.
Edition and sources
The publisher record and university repository identify the fifth revised and extended edition, 2023, with PDF ISBN 9783961104024. The publisher provides the complete free PDF under CC BY 4.0. The digital ISBN is distinct from the softcover identifier.
