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Explaining Syntax: Representations, Structures, and Computation
This book brings together Peter Culicover's most important observations on the nature of syntax and its place within the architecture of language. Over four decades he has sought to understand the mental system in which linguistic expressions are processed. This has led him to re-formulate the balance between the requirements of interpretation and the role of syntactic structure; to examine the nature of the empirical basis in which particular structural analyses can be applied to linguistic expressions; and to consider the extent to which such analyses reflect judgements based not only on linguistic competence but on computations developed in the course of acquiring or using a language.
After a brief a retrospective the author opens the book with the Simpler Syntax Hypothesis, the pioneering article written with Ray Jackendoff that fundamentally rebalances the elements of grammar. The work is then divided into parts concerned broadly with representations, structures, and computation. The chapters are provided with contextual headnotes and footnote references to subsequent work, but are otherwise printed essentially as they first appeared.
Peter Culicover's lively and original perspectives on syntax and grammar will appeal to all theoretical linguists and their advanced students.
After a brief a retrospective the author opens the book with the Simpler Syntax Hypothesis, the pioneering article written with Ray Jackendoff that fundamentally rebalances the elements of grammar. The work is then divided into parts concerned broadly with representations, structures, and computation. The chapters are provided with contextual headnotes and footnote references to subsequent work, but are otherwise printed essentially as they first appeared.
Peter Culicover's lively and original perspectives on syntax and grammar will appeal to all theoretical linguists and their advanced students.
396 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
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June 5, 2026
Explaining Syntax: Representations, Structures, and Computation is a remarkable collection that brings together Peter Culicover’s most influential contributions to theoretical linguistics. What makes the book especially valuable is its sustained effort to rethink how syntax functions within the broader architecture of language, balancing formal structure with questions of interpretation, acquisition, and processing.
The volume offers readers a clear view of Culicover’s intellectual development across decades of scholarship. The inclusion of the Simpler Syntax Hypothesis and related work highlights his willingness to challenge established assumptions and propose alternative ways of understanding grammatical systems. Rather than treating syntax as an isolated module, the book consistently explores its relationship to cognition, meaning, and linguistic computation.
Particularly compelling is the way the collection addresses the empirical foundations of syntactic analysis. Culicover invites readers to consider not only what structures exist in language, but how speakers acquire, process, and interpret them. This broader perspective makes the book relevant to researchers working across syntax, psycholinguistics, cognitive science, and language acquisition.
For linguists and advanced students, Explaining Syntax serves as both a valuable reference and an intellectual history of some of the most important debates in modern syntactic theory. It is a thoughtful and enduring contribution to our understanding of language and the human mind.
The volume offers readers a clear view of Culicover’s intellectual development across decades of scholarship. The inclusion of the Simpler Syntax Hypothesis and related work highlights his willingness to challenge established assumptions and propose alternative ways of understanding grammatical systems. Rather than treating syntax as an isolated module, the book consistently explores its relationship to cognition, meaning, and linguistic computation.
Particularly compelling is the way the collection addresses the empirical foundations of syntactic analysis. Culicover invites readers to consider not only what structures exist in language, but how speakers acquire, process, and interpret them. This broader perspective makes the book relevant to researchers working across syntax, psycholinguistics, cognitive science, and language acquisition.
For linguists and advanced students, Explaining Syntax serves as both a valuable reference and an intellectual history of some of the most important debates in modern syntactic theory. It is a thoughtful and enduring contribution to our understanding of language and the human mind.
Displaying 1 of 1 review