31.715, Review: English; General Linguistics: Aarts, Bowie, Popova (2019)

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Subject: 31.715, Review: English; General Linguistics: Aarts, Bowie, Popova (2019)

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Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2020 21:13:47
From: Cameron Morin [cameron.morin at univ-paris-diderot.fr]
Subject: The Oxford Handbook of English Grammar

 
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Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/30/30-3504.html

EDITOR: Bas  Aarts
EDITOR: Jill  Bowie
EDITOR: Gergana  Popova
TITLE: The Oxford Handbook of English Grammar
PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press
YEAR: 2019

REVIEWER: Cameron Morin

SUMMARY

“The Oxford Handbook of English Grammar”, edited by Bas Aarts, Jill Bowie, and
Gergana Popova (2019), is an updated and wide-ranging survey of research in
the linguistic structure of English, both as a thoroughly investigated
particular language and a solid benchmark in linguistic theory. The book spans
over 850 pages, and includes 31 chapters by renowned specialists in several
sub-fields such as methodology, formal analysis, and theory informed by
variation and change. 

The handbook is made up of an introductory chapter and five parts: “Grammar
Writing and Methodology”, “Approaches to English Grammar”, “Subdomains of
Grammar”, “Grammar and other fields of enquiry”, and “Grammatical Variation
and Change”. 

In Chapter 1, “Introduction”, Bas Aarts, Jill Bowie, and Gergana Popova
succinctly present this ambitious volume as a critical and reflexive series of
approaches to English grammar, rather than a typical description on its own.
‘Grammar’ is primarily understood as the system of principles encompassed by
morphology and syntax. The authors lay stress on the theoretical diversity at
the heart of the project; they then briefly summarise the five sets of
chapters to follow.  

In Chapter 2 (opening Part I), “Conceptualizations of grammar in the history
of English grammaticology”, Margaret Thomas offers a substantial diachrony of
English-language grammar writing, focusing on five foundational figures:
Lindley Murray (1745–1826), Henry Sweet (1845–1912), Otto Jespersen
(1860–1943), Randolph Quirk (1920–2017), and Noam Chomsky (1928– ). These case
studies reveal significant variation over the decades in what was considered
valid data to conceptualize a grammar and what the sources of such data should
be. 

In Chapter 3, “Syntactic argumentation”, Bas Aarts examines the useful notion
of argumentation in the establishment of grammatical descriptions, especially
syntactic. A driving principle the author puts forward is “simplicity”, which
can be further subdivided into “economy” and “elegance”: these are elaborated
upon through the issues of distinguishing or establishing syntactic
constituents. 

In Chapter 4, “Grammar and the use of data”, Jon Sprouse and Carson T. Schütze
provide a synthesis of five main data types used in syntactic theory, which
have each garnered much importance in recent linguistic research: corpora,
acceptability judgments, reading times (self-paced reading and eye-tracking),
electrophysiological methods (EEG and MEG), and haemodynamic methods (esp.
fMRI). Each of these examines a specific type of language behaviour, and thus
constitutes a potential source of precious information about grammar.

In Chapter 5, “Grammar and corpus methodology”, Sean Wallis focuses more
closely on the first type of data identified in the previous chapter. Corpora
can provide three precious types of evidence to the linguist: factual
evidence, frequency evidence, and interaction evidence. Approaches to corpus
research include corpus-driven strands and theory-driven strands, which should
be viewed on a continuum rather than as a dichotomy. The author then
summarises the central aspects of several tools used to tap these sources, and
offers an introduction to experimental corpus linguistics. 

In Chapter 6 (opening Part II), “Cognitive linguistic approaches”, John R.
Taylor presents a series of theoretical frameworks born in the 1980s as 
alternatives to prevailing generative and formalist approaches to language,
focusing on Ronald Langacker’s Cognitive Grammar (CG). CG views language as a
structured inventory of phonological, semantic, and symbolic units that
transcend the lexicon/syntax divide and are organised through schema-instance,
whole-part, and similarity relations. Several case studies of grammatical
phenomena in English are then developed to illustrate the importance of the
notions of grounding, cognitive reference points, and viewing arrangements
within the study of background cognition promoted by CG.  

In Chapter 7, “Constructional approaches”, Martin Hilpert goes over the
foundational assumptions of Construction Grammar (CxG) and the potential they
offer in linguistic research. CxG picks up on several principles in CG and
postulates knowledge of language as entirely consisting of a network of
symbolic form-meaning pairings, known as constructions. The author then
applies the framework to various topics of English grammar including argument
structure, modality, information packaging, and morphology. CxG is a rich
landscape with both functional and formal-driven strands; moreover, it can
come in useful from other perspectives than only theory, such as language
teaching and learning.

In Chapter 8, “Dependency and valency approaches”, Thomas Herbst examines a
series of structural approaches to grammar first put forward by Lucien
Tesnière in the first half of the 20th century, which are distinguished by
their departure from part-whole hierarchical relationships between sentence
constituents, and which lay emphasis on the notions of dependency and valency,
understood as co-occurrence relations. Dependency and valency-based frameworks
of grammar traditionally focus on the syntactic properties of words, but their
rejection of a sharp lexicon/syntax divide allows them to be integrated with
other approaches such as constructionist frameworks. 

In Chapter 9, “Generative approaches”, Terje Lohndal and Liliane Haegeman
provide a synthesis of a highly influential series of approaches to English
grammar known as derivational and transformational, introduced among others by
Noam Chomsky. Its most prevalent model is currently known as Minimalism. In
generative linguistics, grammar and especially syntax are subject to a number
of hierarchical relations including Binary Merge, Movement, and C-command.
They are further analysed as involving abstract entities of structure that may
be present in underlying representations without being realised overtly. These
principles are then applied by the authors to a detailed case study of VP
ellipsis in English. 

In Chapter 10, “Functional approaches”, J. Lachlan Mackenzie presents a broad
spectrum of linguistic approaches known as “functional”, which all share the
assumption that linguistic phenomena are motivated by a number of
extralinguistic factors such as cognitive properties, social relations,
spatio-temporal contexts, and socio-cultural contexts. The author then
provides a survey of central topics in functionalism, from the relationship
between grammar and discourse to  the typological orientation of functionalist
research.

In Chapter 11, “Modern and traditional descriptive approaches”, Rodney
Huddleston and Geoffrey Pullum focus on one of their most important
publications, The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (CGEL, 2002), as a
type of modern descriptive grammar which departs in several ways from
traditional ones written in earlier centuries. The most salient difference in
approach adopted by the authors is to rely on a rigorous formal study of
grammatical structure rather than on vague and ill-defined categories of
meaning. This grants access to a better understanding of pronouns,
auxiliaries, adjectives, prepositions, subordinate clause types, and the
relation between syntactic constructions and discourse/information structure.
Despite these improvements, however, the biases and mistakes of traditional
approaches seem to remain rather unquestioned in the general public today. 

In Chapter 12, “Theoretical approaches to morphology”, Andrew Spencer
describes and dicusses several theoretical approaches to the structure of
words and word-formation in grammar. These approaches have been numerous and
diverse, from classical morphemics to Distributed Morphology, Paradigm
Function Morphology, and Construction Morphology. One of the views shared by
many researchers in the field is that the peculiar internal structure of words
warrants a type of analysis that is independent from syntax. The author then
discusses several phenomena which are related to morphology in a wide sense. 

In Chapter 13 (opening Part III), “Inflection and derivation”, Andrew Spencer
delves deeper into two morphological concepts presented in previous pages. The
author offers an introduction to the structure of morphologically complex
words in English, with specific attention paid to the problematic case of
neo-classical compounds. English inflection is then examined as a case of
grammatical attrition. The final section deals with problems in English
derivational morphology, including its status as a rule-governed phenomenon,
and the status of verbs with varying complementation patterns as lexemic. 

In Chapter 14, “Compounds”, Laurie Bauer exposes two central problems in the
study of English compounds. The first of those is the precise definition and
circumscription of compounds as a category. The second main problem is how to
interpret compounds semantically. The author then offers a survey of compound
structure and modelling, notably through the issues of binarity and
headedness; finally, an overview of compounds involving not only nouns, but
also adjectives, verbs, and prepositions is provided. 

In Chapter 15, “Word classes”, Willem B. Hollmann examines and challenges the
widespread view in linguistics according to which structural approaches to
grammar writing were substantial improvements upon traditional approaches due
to their departing from vague semantics-based criteria. According to the
author, this view is too simplistic, and problematic in several respects.
Three specific beliefs are critically discussed: that the notional terms
employed in traditional grammarians’ definitions were “things”, “actions”, and
“qualities”; that traditional word class descriptions were purely notional;
and that linguists have replaced notional criteria with structural criteria. 

In Chapter 16, “Phrase structure”, Robert D. Borsley unpacks a central concept
in several approaches to (English) syntax, including Transformational Grammar
(TG), Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar (HPSG), Lexical Functional Grammar
(LFG), and Generalized Phrase Structure Grammar (GPSG). Following a brief
introduction to phrase structure in X-Bar theory, closer analyses are
dedicated to various grammatical structures. Problems arise for each of them,
for instance concerning whether all phrases are headed, whether there are
phonologically empty heads, whether all non-heads are phrases, and whether
branching may be more than binary.

In Chapter 17, “Noun phrases”, Evelien Keizer offers an overview of the main
problems encountered in studies of the English noun phrase. Following a
preliminary, theory-neutral characterisation of noun phrases, the author
discusses several issues in their internal structure from the perspectives of
generative, functional, and cognitive linguistic approaches. One central
problem that arises is the question of headedness within noun phrases, both in
itself as a notion and in the criteria that could be invoked to define it. The
author then examines the important contrast of relational versus
non-relational heads, cross-examining it with that of modifier versus
complement. 

In Chapter 18, “Clause structure, complements, and adjuncts”, Patrick Duffley
focuses on the internal structure of clauses in English, and how this
structure can be analysed. Three main topics are covered in turn: the
delineation of headedness in the determination of clause type from
constituent-based and dependency-based perspectives, the distinction between
complements as obligatory components and adjuncts as optional components of a
clause based on Talmy Givón’s influential account, and the ways in which
predicates constrain the choice of obligatory components of the clause, also
known as subcategorization. 

In Chapter 19, « Clause types and speech act functions », Ekkehard König
presents several ways of distinguishing clause types in English according to
their speech act functions. This can be done on syntactic grounds, semantic
grounds, or on the basis of illocutionary force, although each approach comes
with its own set of specific problems. A synthesis is then given of the four
main types generally recognized in English grammar : declarative,
interrogative, imperative, and exclamative. 

In Chapter 20, « Tense and aspect », Ilse Depraetere and Anastasios
Tsangalidis provide a substantial introduction to three central notions in
studies of verbal form and meaning, namely situation type (also known as
Aktionsart), aspect, and tense. The authors focus more specifically on the
interaction of aspect and tense marking in English through the case studies of
progressive marking, past tense, the perfect, the conditional, and the future.
Furthermore, there are cases where situation types have an impact on the
temporal interpretation of the clause, and conversely, there are cases where
tense influences the interpretation of Aktionsarten, through processes of
coercion. 

In Chapter 21, « Mood and modality », Debra Ziegeler introduces two areas of
meaning centred on non-actualized or non-factual events, which have been
notoriously difficult to pin down in linguistic research, including in English
grammar. Several important concepts are surveyed and problematized, including
mood, modal verbs in English, dynamic modality along with other non-epistemic
types of modality, epistemic modality, and modal source. The second part of
the chapter is devoted to the equally problematic question of the diachrony of
the English modals through processes of grammaticalization, with a
presentation of several diverging views, including one based on the notions of
subjectivity and subjectification.

In Chapter 22, « Subordination and coordination », Thomas Egan presents two
means that speakers use to signal the relationship between clauses, namely
subordination and coordination. Subordinate clauses can be subdivided into
those that function as complements on the one hand,  and modifiers on the
other; moreover, they can be formally classified according to finiteness or
non-finiteness. Coordination can be realized at the phrase level as well as at
the clause level, and is also involved in a number of phenomena that are
non-prototypical with respect to the coordinator or the coordinated elements.
Finally, the author shows that there is at times a grey area between
subordination and coordination.

In Chapter 23, « Information structure », Gunther Kaltenböck examines the
lexicogrammatical means used by speakers to arrange information in a way that
fits their communicative needs, first labelled ‘information structure’ by Mark
Halliday. Following a synthesis of the central notions of presupposition,
assertion, activation, given and new information, topic, focus, end-focus, and
end-weight, the author offers a survey of the most important information
packaging constructions in English. 

In Chapter 24 (opening Part IV), « Grammar and lexis », Doris Schönefeld shows
that the view one takes of the relationship between grammar and the lexicon
has profound theoretical implications across frameworks of (English) grammar.
In generative models, a modularity hypothesis is adopted whereby both are seen
as clearly distinct. This view becomes more relaxed and continuum-based when
moving on to functionalist frameworks; even more so in usage-based frameworks
informed by progress in corpus linguistics.

In Chapter 25, Sam Hellmuth and Ian Cushing challenge the separation between
phonology and « grammar » understood in this handbook as morphosyntax, insofar
as morphosyntactic theory informs phonological theory and vice-versa, for
instance when investigating the status of phonology and syntax as autonomous
or grounded. Following an overview of word- and sentence-level phenomena that
take place at the interface of phonology and morphosyntax across varieties of
English, and a discussion of the role of phonological properties in English
word-class categorization, the authors show two examples of how phonology can
be integrated in a theory of grammar.

In Chapter 26, « Grammar and meaning », Ash Asudeh assesses the position and
role of lexical semantics, compositional semantics, and pragmatics with
respect to grammar. The field of lexical semantics leads one to consider
topics such as lexical relations including synonymy and antonymy, as well as
argument structure at the lexicon-grammar interface. Influential approaches in
compositional semantics include model theory, type theory, interpretive
composition, and parallel composition. Pragmatics is then presented as a field
that has emerged from the study of speech acts (Austin) and implicature
(Grice). Finally, the author mentions several phenomena challenging the
boundary between grammar and meaning. 

In Chapter 27, « Grammar and discourse », Jill Bowie and Gergana Popova
consider the regularities of language found beyond the level of the sentence,
i.e. in discourse, and how these should be related to grammar and grammatical
models. The authors examine the interaction between grammar and text coherence
; they also review strands of research on grammar and spoken discourse, and
discuss issues in the delimitation of grammatical units as well as clause
fragments in dialogue, showing that the boundary between grammar and discourse
remains unclear. Finally, there are reasons to view grammar and discourse as
shaping each other in a mutual, dynamic relation.

In Chapter 28 (opening Part V), « Change in grammar », Marianne Hundt examines
approaches to the study of morphosyntactic change in the history of English,
which evolved from a more analytical to a more synthetic language today. While
formal and generative frameworks usually view change as abrupt or
‘catastrophic’, cognitive and functional approaches postulate it as gradual,
stepwise, and incremental. The author then provides a detailed case study of
diachronic mood and modality in English. The specific processes of ‘syntactic
demise’ and ‘grammatical revival’ are also discussed. 

In Chapter 29, « Regional varieties of English », Peter Siemund focuses on
non-standard grammatical features present in regional varieties of English,
and argues for a cross-linguistic and typological approach to these phenomena,
which implies the exploration of the patterns and limits of language
variation, as well as the language universals they might reveal. Closer
attention is brought to specific grammatical subsystems including pronouns,
tense and aspect, negation , subject-verb agreement, and clause structure
across varieties of inner circle English.

In Chapter 30, « Global variation in the Anglophone world », Bernd Kortmann
also examines morphosyntactic variation from a cross-linguistic and
typological perspective, although the focus this time is on varieties of World
Englishes. Following the exhibition of various patterns of morphosyntactic
variation across the Anglophone world, the author extracts the most widespread
features shared by these varieties, known as ‘angloversals’. Moreover, it is
shown that varieties cluster into variety types and regional types, which
feature higher degrees of morphosyntactic similarity in the form of
‘varioversals’ and ‘aeroversals’ respectively. Finally, the hypothesis of a
Standard American-based World system of Englishes is critically discussed. 

In Chapter 32, « Genre variation », Heidrun Dorgeloh and Anja Wanner give an
overview of how speakers adapt their language according to the various
situations they are in. The chapter begins with a survey of research
traditions in the study of genre variation ; the effect of medium on genre is
then examined through the examples of grammatical features of spoken and
written English. Special attention is brought to the impact of evolving text
types and the digital media on genre variation. 

In Chapter 33, « Literary variation », Lesley Jeffries examines several ways
in which grammar varies in literature. The author provides an introduction to
the field of stylistics, one of the questions it explores being whether
literary language fundamentally differs from everyday language; corpus methods
have also enabled the emergence of the subfield of corpus stylistics. The use
of non-standard forms in literature introduces theoretical issues such as the
representation of regional and social varieties, of spoken and informal
language, and of cognitive patterns through experimental ‘ungrammaticality’ in
literature. The final section focuses on grammatical variation as a source of
literary creativity and effect.

EVALUATION

The Oxford Handbook of English Grammar is massive: not only in sheer physical
size and length (and weight!), but also in its array of topics, and its
ambitions to produce a complete critical introduction to theoretical
linguistics through the case study of English. Reading the book from beginning
to end as I did is probably not the easiest and most productive approach to
adopt in this case; as with other volumes in the Oxford Handbook series, the
editors and authors offer an encyclopedia of knowledge that one can dip in and
out of, about a topic so extensively studied that the resulting scope is more
than justified. In fact, they could probably have got away with even more.

Overall, this handbook is excellent and will be a useful addition to the
library of theoretical linguists and linguists of English alike. The
theoretical neutrality inherent to the volume deserves particular praise,
since it was bound to call for a survey of at least the most salient theories
of grammar out in the wild, a challenge which is successfully met in Part II,
“Approaches to English Grammar”. More generally, the diversity of all the
contributions to the book is appealing and stimulating: it evokes the idea of
a wide, collective investigation into the nature of linguistics and the
English language, rather than a list of exclusive projects or “schools” cut
off from one another. There is also a well-maintained balance between very
traditional topics in the field, such as the nature of the relationship
between syntax and other levels of grammar, and more recent ones, such as the
emergence of modern and plural methods bringing linguistic research closer to
interfaces with other disciplines of (social) science. 

The accessibility of this handbook and its contents is also a decisive
advantage. Most chapters are clear and concise, both as introductions for
beginners or scholars from other subdomains of research, and as freshly
updated syntheses for more experienced specialists. This makes the book useful
for a wide readership spanning many backgrounds, although to be sure, those
who will most directly benefit from it will typically be undergraduate,
postgraduate, and PhD students. A couple of chapters here and there may seem a
little less tightly knit than others, as they enumerate a number of phenomena
and take the risk of resembling chapters of descriptive grammars, which was
what the editors precisely wanted to avoid. But this is a minor aspect that is
not necessarily problematic, as these chapters are still guaranteed to
constitute updated summaries of what is known and consensual in the field. 

Despite its impressive size and scope, this handbook cannot be taken as
exhaustive, and of course it does not make that claim. Rather, it is an
introductory tool with gateways into specific topics that are contextualised
and related to others. It is important that linguists specialising in a given
domain should know the essentials of other disciplines that their colleagues
are working on; crucially, it is an attitude of open curiosity that is
encouraged in this volume, with appropriate references given to readers who
would like to delve deeper. 

In sum, The Oxford Handbook of English Grammar is a welcome contribution to
the literature, a successful introduction to many rich subjects, and both a
substantial and pleasant read.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Cameron Morin is a first-year PhD student at the University of Paris. His
research interests include cognitive linguistics, especially Construction
Grammar, and the study of dialect syntax using a constructional approach,
through the example of double modals and multiple modals in dialects of
English.





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