Explaining Syntax: Representations, Structures, and Computation

by Peter W. Culicover

This book brings together many of Peter Culicover's most significant observations on the nature of syntax and its place within the architecture of human language. Over four decades he has sought to understand the cognitive foundations of linguistic theory and the place of syntactic theory in explaining how language works. This has led him to specific proposals regarding the proper scope of syntactic theory and to a re-examination of the empirical basis ofsyntactic analyses, which reflect judgements reflecting not only linguistic competence but the complexity of the computations involved in acquiring and using language.After a brief a retrospective the author opens the book with the Simpler Syntax Hypothesis, an article written with Ray Jackendoff, that proposes significant restrictions on the scope of the syntactic component of the 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.

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.