_Syntactic Theory: A Formal Introduction_

[Emily Bender]

Dear HPSG List,

We are pleased to announce the completion of the second
edition of _Syntactic Theory: A Formal Introduction_
(CSLI publications).  The volume is now off to the
printer (with a ship date of late July), and will be
available for fall semester or quarter classes.

We are also in the process of updating the Instructor's
Manual for the second edition, and will have complete
answer keys (available only to instructors) and a
preliminary set of slides and lecture notes available
this fall.

-- Ivan, Tom and Emily


>From the Preface:

  We began the process of preparing a second edition
  expecting it to be a relatively quick and easy task --
  a few modifications of specific analyses, some global
  replaces, and fleshing out explanations where students
  had exhibited confusion. But we rapidly discovered that
  we had vastly underestimated the job.

  The elements of our grammatical system are highly
  interconnected.  Changes to one piece had ramifications
  in many other places.  Hence, as we worked through the
  changes we wanted to make, we discovered that almost
  everything needed at least some reformulation.  In the
  end, every chapter of the book (plus the appendices)
  underwent substantial revision. We believe that the
  result is a great improvement.

  [...]

  Among the major changes between the first and second
  editions are the following:

  --  Reconceptualizing the formal foundations, with
      feature structures defined as functions from feature
      names to values, and the grammar generating tree
      structures, rather than descriptions of trees
      (`structural descriptions').

  --  Eliminating the need for nonbranching phrasal nodes
      directly dominating lexical nodes, making our trees
      more compact.

  --  Generalizing the earlier analysis of
      determiner-noun agreement to cover subject-verb
      agreement as well.

  --  Grouping together the features SPR, COMPS, and MOD
      as components of the value of a feature VAL, allowing
      simplification and generalization of the Valence
      Principle.

  --  Simplifying the Binding Theory, through a
      reformulation of the definition of `outrank' and the
      elimination of the ad hoc P-OBJ feature.

  --  Formalizing lexical rules as feature structures,
      facilitating the characterization of different types of
      lexical rule, and simplifying the formulation of
      particular rules.

  --  Formulating passive as a derivational (rather than
      inflectional) lexical rule.

  --  Analyzing the infinitival _to_ as a verb, rather
      than a complementizer.

  --  Generalizing the analysis of sentential negation to
      cover the reaffirmation uses of _too_ and _so_.

  --  Generalizing the treatment of long-distance
      dependencies to cover _tough_-constructions, using a
      new feature, STOP-GAP, as an essential part of the
      analysis of all LDDs.

  --  Thoroughly revising the analysis of copula absence
      in African American Vernacular English, on the basis of
      arguments in favor of a `silent verb' analysis.

  --  Adding grammar summaries or summaries of changes to
      the grammar at the end of most chapters.

  We also did some reorganization, particularly in
  Chapters 2-4, and we reversed the ordering of Chapters
  14 and 15.  Problems have been moved to the ends of
  chapters.  A number of new problems have been added, a
  few old ones have been deleted, and most of the
  remaining ones have undergone some modification.  In
  addition, we have inserted exercises in various places
  in the text.  Exercises are simple questions about, or
  applications of, what appears at that point in the
  book; problems, by contrast, are intended to be
  more challenging, often requiring students to go well
  beyond what has been presented.  Solutions to the
  exercises (but not the problems) are included at the
  end of the book.