Parameters and Learnability in Binding Theory

Wexler, Kenneth; Manzini, M. Rita

doi:10.1007/978-94-009-3727-7_3

Cited by 306 publications

(185 citation statements)

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“…He further noted that, since languages may have several anaphors that differ in these respects, the binding domain and the antecedent requirement is a lexical property of individual anaphors, rather than simply a syntactic property of the language at large. These conclusions were confirmed by Yang (1983), and their consequences were explored in the more general framework of the principles-and-parameters approach to syntax by Wexler and Manzini (1987). Independently, Everaert (1986) and Thráinsson (1991) proposed to specify the binding properties of anaphors by systems of crossclassifying features.…”

Section: The Typology Of Pronounsmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…Huang 1983, Chomsky 1986, Dalrymple 1993) to quasi-independent distribution (e.g. Wexler and Manzini 1987, who allow pronoun-specific domain parametrizations for Principle A and Principle B, though restricted by certain global constraints; see below.) Strict complementarity is surely too strong: most languages show "optional reflexivization" in at least some contexts.…”

Section: Real and Apparent Complementarity Failuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been explicitly claimed that it can (e.g. Harbert 1986, Wexler and Manzini 1987, Kapur, Lust, Harbert, and Martohardono 1993, Sells 1991. The existence of such cases would require specifying additional language-specific syntactic or semantic disjoint reference domains, against the spirit and letter of the present proposal.…”

Section: Is the Disjoint Reference Domain Universal?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Disjoint reference and the typology of pronouns

Kiparsky¹

2002

More Than Words

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Section: The Typology Of Pronounsmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Real and Apparent Complementarity Failuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Is the Disjoint Reference Domain Universal?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Disjoint reference and the typology of pronouns

Kiparsky¹

2002

More Than Words

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“…Hirakawa (1990), Thomas (1995), and MacLaughlin (1998)) have built their rationale upon the conception of Governing Category Parameter (GCP), which states that the binding domain of an anaphor is alleged to be parametrically determined (cf. Yang (1984) and Wexler and Manzini (1987)). 1 The five parametric values determine five different possible binding domains, which range from the most restrictive English type (i.e.…”

Section: Pramentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Then, some of the advocates for PRA (e.g. Hirakawa (1990) and Watanabe et al (2008)) adopt the Subset Principle of Wexler andManzini (1987) (cf. also, Berwick (1985)), and try to explain the experimental result that JLsE in their IL stage adopt neither their own L1 parameter value for the binding domain (i.e.…”

Section: Pramentioning

confidence: 99%

Syntactic Feature Transfer and Reflexive Binding in Interlanguage

Ishino

2012

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Learnability in Optimality Theory

Tesar¹,

Smolensky²

2004

Optimality Theory in Phonology

123

222

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In this article we show how Optimality Theory yields a highly general Constraint Demotion principle for grammar learning. The resulting learning procedure specifically exploits the grammatical structure of Optimality Theory, independent of the content of substantive constraints defining any given grammatical module. We decompose the learning problem and present formal results for a central subproblem, deducing the constraint ranking particular to a target language, given structural descriptions of positive examples. The structure imposed on the space of possible grammars by Optimality Theory allows efficient convergence to a correct grammar. We discuss implications for learning from overt data only, as well as other learning issues. We argue that Optimality Theory promotes confluence of the demands of more effective learnability and deeper linguistic explanation. How exactly does a theory of grammar bear on questions of learnability? Restrictions on what counts as a possible human language can restrict the learner's search space. But this is a coarse observation: alone it says nothing about how data may be brought to bear on the problem, and further, the number of possible languages predicted by most linguistic theories is extremely large. 1 It would clearly be a desirable result if the nature of the restrictions imposed by a theory of grammar could contribute further to language learnability. The central claim of this article is that the character of the restrictions imposed by Optimality Theory (Prince and Smolensky 1991, 1993) have demonstrable and significant consequences for central questions of learnability. Optimality Theory explains linguistic phenomena through the complex interaction of violable constraints. The main results of this article demonstrate that those constraint interactions are nevertheless restricted in a way that permits the correct grammar to be inferred from grammatical structural descriptions. These results are theorems, based on a formal We are greatly indebted to Alan Prince, whose challenges, insights, and suggestions have improved nearly every

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Parameters and Learnability in Binding Theory

Cited by 306 publications

References 3 publications

Disjoint reference and the typology of pronouns

Disjoint reference and the typology of pronouns

Syntactic Feature Transfer and Reflexive Binding in Interlanguage

Learnability in Optimality Theory

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