书评
2020-03-02 07:29:22 来源：范文大全收藏下载本文
外国语言学及应用语言学 2012132077号 姜作超
Introduction to Contemporary Syntax(当代句法学导论) is written by Profeor Wen Binli of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies.It is a book for English learners who are beginners of syntax.This book introduces the dominant theory of contemporary syntax study------Chomsky’s Government and Binding Theory, or the Principle and Parameter System before the publication of his “the Minimalist Program” in 1995.By using plain language, Profeor Wen Binli elaborated various theoretical components: Theta Theory, X-bar Theory, Binding Theory, Control Theory, Government Theory and Bounding Theory.This book consists of twelve chapters, each chapter permeates with each other, and the content is systematic and cohesive.The first chapter is a brief introduction to the whole book, in which the author discues some theoretical problems about the study of language.In this chapter the author discues the relationship between language study and language theory, introduces two method and three methodological principles of language study, and explains the main content of this book and several problems about the edition of this book.The second chapter is about category claification and some basic syntactic concepts.This chapter describes three iues: word category, phrase category, and sentence structure and several structural relationships.The third chapter introduces Theta Theory, including subcategorization, argument structure, thematic structure, aigning θ-role, and the like.According to Theta Theory, a sentence is a structure with verb as the center.It is the features of words that determine the basic structures of sentences.The forth chapter discues X-bar theory.This chapter reveals that the internal structures of a variety of phrases and clauses are consistent with X-bar Theory, that is all of them have common structural features.The fifth chapter is about Case Theory, including specifier-head agreement, Constituent-command theory, abstract case, morphological case, case aignment and Case Filter.The sixth chapter introduces Binding Theory.In this chapter the author distinguishes pronouns, anaphors and referring expreions and introduces three binding theories of pronouns, anaphors and referring expreions.The seventh chapter is a discuion of two different categories: PRO and pro.This chapter discues the features, distribution and permiive conditions of PRO and pro as well as Control Theory.The eighth chapter is about NP-Movement.NP-Movement mainly involves three structures: paive construction, raising construction and unaccusative construction.This chapter explains the features of NP-Movement and how NP-Movement occurs.The ninth chapter discues Wh-Movement.Wh-Movement occurs mostly in wh-sentences and relative clauses.This chapter also discues the features, reasons and end points of Wh-Movement.Bounding Theory, which confines Wh-Movement, is also introduced.The tenth chapter introduces the features and permiive conditions of traces left after NP-Movement and Wh-Movement.This chapter explains Empty Category Principle, the phenomenon of parasitic gap, and strong croover and weak croover.The eleventh chapter is about logical form, which is a kind of semantic expreion formed through α-movement on the basis of S-structure.α-movement is abstract movement, including quantifier raiding and wh-raising.This chapter also discues the phenomenon of “subject-object asymmetry”, “γ-making” and “subject-adjunct asymmetry”.The last chapter introduces Head Movement.This chapter discues Head Movement Constraint and introduces Pollock’s Split INFL Hypothesis.
For beginners of English syntax, this book is a rather good material.The gradation of content is reasonable.The arrangement of the content is from supplene to difficulty.It is easy for students to understand and learn.Students can learn step by step and at last master the knowledge of syntax.J.D.Brown suggests that materials should be considered from five perspectives: background, fit to curriculum, physical characteristics, logistical characteristics, and teachability.Cunningsworuth also suggests four guidelines for study materials: First, course book should correspond to learners’ needs.Second, course book should reflect the uses which learners will make of the language.Third, course book should take account of students’ needs as learners and should facilitate their learning procees, without dogmatically imposing a rigid “method”.Last, course book should have a clear role as a support for learning.According to the above criteria, this book is pretty good.The reasons are as follows: In this book, the statement of the Principle and Parameter theory and its subtheories is systematic and comprehensive.The structure of this book is clear and appropriated.In general, each chapter of this book presents a different theory, and each theory and principle lays a sound foundation for theories of latter chapters.When stating the content of each chapter, the author does not confined to the statement in a single linear level, but use comprehensive method of statement.By adopting this method, the author not only constructs the systematicne and integrity of syntactic theory but also leads the students to master theoretical knowledge of syntax more profound.The logic of this book is clear and the language used is simple and plain.All the principles and theories in this book are summed up on the basis of the analysis of language materials.In the proce of analyzing language materials, the author uses localized language, take examples, uses contrast and comparison method to make the statement easy to understand and master for Chinese students.
In short, through the usage of various kinds of statement, localized language, and clear logic, the author makes abstract and obscure syntactic theories and principles easy to understand for Chinese learners.In addition, the well-designed exercises after each chapter can trigger the interest of further reading for students and lead learners to contemplate deeper so as to improve the ability of thinking, analyzing and solving problems.
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