The architecture of the human language faculty has been one of the main foci of the linguistic research of the last half century. This branch of linguistics, broadly known as Generative Grammar, is concerned with the formulation of explanatory formal accounts of linguistic phenomena with the ulterior goal of gaining insight into the properties of the 'language organ'. The series comprises high quality monographs and collected volumes that address such issues. The topics in this series range from phonology to semantics, from syntax to information structure, from mathematical linguistics to studies of the lexicon.
Infinitives: Restructuring and Clause Structure offers a detailed study of the clausal architecture of infinitival constructions providing a unified analysis of restructuring, control, modals, and raising. The book critically evaluates previous proposals from both syntactic and semantic perspectives and presents a new analysis incorporating many recent developments in generative linguistic theory. In addition to its theoretical contribution, Infinitives contains a detailed descriptive overview of a range of constructions, primarily from the Germanic languages and will thus not only be of value to generative linguists but will also serve as a general reference source for those interested in the Germanic languages.
Susanne Wurmbrand
"Wurmbrands Distributionsanalysen gehen vor allem der Idee nach, daß syntaktische Struktur und semantische Interpretation parallel laufen. Dabei verfolgt die Verafsserin eine große Zahl deutscher Verbeinbettungen bei Modalverben, Anhebungskonstruktionen, langer Objektversetzung und Rekonstruierungskonfigurationen. Theoretische Folgerungen ebenso wie empirische Proben am deutschen Material werden zweifellos anregende Wirkung vor allem für Spiegelungen in anderen germanischen Sprachen haben."Werner Abraham, erkeley/Wien
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