Syntax: A Generative Introduction

Andrew Carnie’s bestselling textbook on syntax has guided thousands of students through the discipline of theoretical syntax; retaining its popularity due to its combination of straightforward language, comprehensive coverage, and numerous exercises. In this third edition, topics have been updated, new exercises added, and the online resources have been expanded.

• •  Supported by expanded online student and instructor resources, including extra chapters on HPSG,  LFG and time-saving materials for lecturers, including problem sets, PowerPoint slides, and an instructors’ manual
• •  Features new chapters on ellipsis, auxiliaries, and non-configurational languages
• •  Covers topics including phrase structure, the lexicon, Case theory, movement, covert movement, locality conditions, VP shells, and control
• •  Accompanied by a new optional workbook, available separately, of sample problem sets which are designed to give students greater experience of analyzing syntactic structure

  “Deeply informed, lucid, and careful, this revision of the outstanding original carries the student from core concepts to topics at the borders of inquiry. A most valuable contribution.”
  Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor (retired), Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, MIT “
   

This truly excellent textbook competently guides students to understand not just the basics of generative syntax but also richness of universals and parametric variation in a clear and thoughtprovoking way.”
Ken Hiraiwa, Department of English, Meiji Gakuin University
 

Andrew Carnie’s bestselling textbook on syntax has guided thousands of students through the discipline of theoretical syntax; its popularity is due to its combination of straightforward language, comprehensive coverage, and numerous exercises. In this third edition, new topics are added, discussions are updated, additional exercises are included, and online resources are enhanced.
 

Authoritative coverage spans phrase structure, the lexicon, Case theory, movement, covert movement, locality conditions, VP shells, and control. New chapters cover auxiliaries, ellipsis, and non-configurational languages. For the first time, an optional companion Workbook is also available; the table of contents correlates with the textbook and is designed to help offer students practice at analyzing syntactic structure. The enhanced online resources for both instructors and students, now available at www.wiley.com/go/carnie, include online-only chapters on HPSG and LFG, and offer tried and tested resources from the previous editions.
 

Comprehensive, engaging, and ideally structured for study, this third edition of Syntax is the most robust introduction to the major issues in generative syntactic theory available today.

About the Author

Andrew Carnie is Professor of Linguistics and Faculty Director in the Graduate College at the University of Arizona. He specializes in generative syntactic theory with an emphasis on constituency, VSO languages, copular constructions and Celtic languages. He is the author of numerous other publications, including Irish Nouns (2008), Constituent Structure (2010), Formal Approaches to Celtic Linguistics (2011), Modern Syntax (2011), and The Syntax Workbook: A Companion to Carnie’s Syntax (2012).