{"product_id":"the-syntax-construction-kit-9781729647363","title":"The Syntax Construction Kit","description":"An accessible but incisive introduction to modern syntax and generative grammar, for conlangers and anyone interested in languages or linguistics.\u003cp\u003eSyntax can be frustrating, because there are multiple schools that seem to fight over inessential things. I hope I can show you that this is normal for a new field, and that it actually makes syntax \u003cb\u003efun\u003c\/b\u003e. New discoveries are being made, and you can participate- something that's a lot harder to do in, say, quantum mechanics. The emphasis here is on \u003cb\u003edoing syntax\u003c\/b\u003e-- learning how to make and how to evaluate syntactic arguments.What's in it?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn introduction to the Chomsky Hierarchy, a classification of grammars that's used both in linguistics and computer science, as well as a comparison to other generative techniques, such as Markov text generators.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA tour of Chomsky's methods- production rules and transformations- with overnight stays in the \u003ci\u003eSyntactic Structures\u003c\/i\u003e, X-bar, and Minimalist stages in his thought.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA leisurely stroll through interesting bits of syntax: the English verbal complex, pronouns and other anaphors, relative clauses, quantifiers and more. The emphasis is on \u003cb\u003edoing syntax\u003c\/b\u003e- not just learning rules and drawing trees, but learning how syntactic arguments are made.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn overview of \u003cb\u003ealternatives\u003c\/b\u003e to Chomsky's approach: generative syntax, cognitive linguistics, relational grammars, word grammar, construction grammar, Jackendoff's Simpler Syntax, and Comrie's universals.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA chapter on \u003cb\u003eproduction\u003c\/b\u003e which asks, how real are these grammars? Do we really have syntactic categories and transformations in the brain, or in the genome?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA chapter on how you can apply all this to your conlangs.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Syntactic Bestiary- an annotated list of transformations and constraints, which you can think about for conlanging, or use to evaluate syntactic theories.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003ePlus, unlike most syntax textbooks, this one comes with a set of \u003cb\u003eweb toys\u003c\/b\u003e so you can see the rules in action and write your own. It makes the ideas come alive much more than mere diagrams can.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Createspace Independent Publishing Platform","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50545096491282,"sku":"9781729647363","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_6c517143-79eb-4359-b1ea-03791a22da64.jpg?v=1731540859","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-syntax-construction-kit-9781729647363","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}