Principles of Argument Structure

A new theory of argument structure, based on the syntactic operation Merge and presented through an in-depth analysis of properties of the English passive construction.

In Principles of Argument Structure, Chris Collins investigates principles of argument structure in minimalist syntax through an in-depth analysis of properties of the English passive construction. He formulates a new theory of argument structure based on the only structure-building operation in minimalist syntax, Merge, which puts together two syntactic objects to form a larger one. This new theory should give rise to detailed cross-linguistic work on the syntactic and semantic properties of implicit arguments.

Collins presents an update and defense of his influential 2005 theory of the passive, including a completely original theory of implicit arguments. He makes a direct empirical argument for the Theta-Criterion against various claims that it should be eliminated. He also discusses the conception of voice in syntactic theory, arguing that VoiceP does not introduce external arguments, a position otherwise widely accepted in the field. He shows how the ”smuggling” approach to the passive extends naturally to the dative alternation accounting for a number of striking c-command asymmetries. He compares syntactic and semantic approaches to argument structure, outlining conceptual problems with adopting formal semantics as the basis for a theory of argument structure.

The book will be of interest not only to syntacticians and semanticists, but also to typologists investigating the cross-linguistic properties of the passive, psycholinguists and computer scientists working on natural language understanding, and philosophers thinking about the issue of “implicit content.” It includes an appendix that provides common-sense guidelines for doing syntactic research using internet data.Contents
Acknowledgments
1   A Merge-Based Approach to Argument Structure
2   The Phi-Features of the Implicit Argument
3   Secondary Predicates and the Implicit Argument
4   A Theory of Implicit Arguments
5   Out of Africa
6   by-Phrases
7   Derivations
8   Two Conceptions of VoiceP
9   The Dative Alternation
10   On the Tension with Formal Semantics
11   Conclusion
Appendix: Internet Searches as a Tool in Syntactic Research
References“This carefully argued inquiry develops an original and persuasive Merge-based approach to fundamental questions about the syntactic foundations of semantic interpretation. A very valuable contribution to central issues in the study of language.”
—Noam Chomsky
 
“Collins’ stimulating new monograph delves into and sheds important new analytical light on some of the central questions in syntactic theory and will be essential reading on implicit arguments and the passive voice.”
—Jason Merchant, Vice Provost and Lorna Puttkammer Straus Distinguished Service Professor of Linguistics, University of Chicago
 
“A beautiful trip into the intricacies of the organization of the nominal arguments of verbs, sometimes silent, sometimes overt, developed in such a sharp way, that makes one feel that deep properties have indeed been uncovered. Collins’ book illustrates the scientific method at its best, leaving a feeling of freshness and clarity.”
—Adriana Belletti, University of Siena, ItalyChris Collins is Professor of Linguistics at New York University. His research focuses on syntactic theory, the syntax-semantics interface, and African languages. When not in Africa, he and his wife live in New York City.