Gradient Acceptability and Linguistic Theory

This book explores the interpretation of gradient judgments of sentence acceptability in relation to theories of grammatical knowledge, arguing that converging evidence from online comprehension tasks, elicited production tasks, and corpora of naturally-occurring discourse can help determine the sources of variation and narrow down the range of plausible theoretical interpretations. The theoretical frameworks considered include derivational theories, constraint-based theories, competition-based theories, and usage-based approaches, with some gradient phenomena best captured within frameworks that permit soft constraints.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 15 December 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press

This book delves into a complex and challenging problem at the intersection of theoretical linguistics and the psychology of language: the interpretation of gradient judgments of sentence acceptability in relation to theories of grammatical knowledge. Acceptability judgments serve as the primary source of data upon which such theories are constructed, despite being susceptible to various extra-grammatical factors. Through a comprehensive review of experimental and corpus-based research on a diverse range of syntactic phenomena and an in-depth exploration of two case studies, Elaine J. Francis makes two central arguments. The first posits that converging evidence from online comprehension tasks, elicited production tasks, and corpora of naturally-occurring discourse can aid in determining the sources of variation in acceptability judgments and in narrowing down the range of plausible theoretical interpretations. The second emphasizes that the interpretation of judgment data hinges critically on the theoretical commitments and assumptions made, particularly regarding the nature of the syntax-semantics interface and the choice between a categorical or a gradient notion of grammaticality. The theoretical frameworks considered in this book encompass derivational theories (such as Minimalism, Principles and Parameters), constraint-based theories (such as Sign-based Construction Grammar, Simpler Syntax), competition-based theories (such as Stochastic Optimality Theory, Decathlon Model), and usage-based approaches. The volume demonstrates that while acceptability judgment data generally align with the assumptions of various theoretical frameworks, certain gradient phenomena are best captured within frameworks that allow for soft constraints—non-categorical grammatical constraints that encode the conventional preferences of language users.

Weight: 512g
Dimension: 171 x 247 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192898951