Recursion across Domains

Explores two important phenomena in natural language - recursion and embedding - integrating current linguistic theory, cross-linguistic fieldwork, and specific acquisition and experimental techniques.

Luiz Amaral (Edited by), Marcus Maia (Edited by), Andrew Nevins (Edited by), Tom Roeper (Edited by)

9781108406260, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 24 September 2020

407 pages, 63 b/w illus. 1 map 19 tables
15 x 23 x 2 cm, 0.58 kg

'In the light of recent claims according to which syntactic recursion is the defining property of natural language, this volume offers an excellent collection of contributions dealing with the issue of how to detect and define recursion across syntactic domains and different languages. Since many chapters provide a comparison between languages that have been in the focus of recent debates on recursion and indigenous languages of Brazil, the book is a 'must read' for linguists interested in the issue of recursion from a typological perspective.' Andreas Trotzke, Universität Konstanz, Germany

Recursion and self-embedding are at the heart of our ability to formulate our thoughts, articulate our imagination and share with other human beings. Nonetheless, controversy exists over the extent to which recursion is shared across all domains of syntax. A collection of 18 studies are presented here on the central linguistic property of recursion, examining a range of constructions in over a dozen languages representing great areal, typological and genetic diversity and spanning wide latitudes. The volume expands the topic to include prepositional phrases, possessives, adjectives, and relative clauses - our many vehicles to express creative thought - to provide a critical perspective on claims about how recursion connects to broader aspects of the mind. Parallel explorations across language families, literate and non-literate societies, children and adults are investigated and constitutes a new step in the generative tradition by simultaneously focusing on formal theory, acquisition and experimentation, and ecologically-sensitive fieldwork, and initiates a new community where these diverse experts collaborate.

Introduction: a map of the theoretical and empirical issues Luiz Amaral, Marcus Maia, Andrew Nevins and Tom Roeper
Part I. Speech Reports, Theory of Mind and Evidentials: 1. False speech reports in Pirahã: a comprehension experiment Uli Sauerland
2. Indirect recursion: the importance of second-order embedding and its implications for cross-linguistic research Bart Hollebrandse
3. Recursion in language and the development of higher order cognitive functions: an investigation with children acquiring Brazilian Portuguese Letícia M. S. Corrêa, Marina R. A. Augusto, Mercedes Marcilese and Clara Villarinho
4. Embedding as a building block of evidential categories in Kotiria Kristine Stenzel
5. Embedded imperatives in Mbyá Guillaume Thomas
Part II. Recursion along the Clausal Spine: 6. Word order in control: evidence for self-embedding in Pirahã Cilene Rodrigues, Raiane Salles and Filomena Sandalo
7. Switch-reference is licensed by both kinds of coordination: novel K?sêdjê data Rafael Nonato
8. Clausal recursion, predicate raising and head-finality in Tenetehára Fábio Bonfim Duarte
9. Recursion in Tupi-Guarani languages: the cases of Tupinambá and Guarani Marcia Maria Damaso Vieira
Part III. Recursive Possession and Relative Clauses: 10. Recursive possessives in child Japanese Akikio Terunuma and Terue Nakato
11. Recursion of possessives and locative phrases in Kawaiwete Suzi Lima and Pikuruk Kaiabi
12. Relative clauses in Wapichana and the interpretation of multiple embedded 'uraz' constructions Luiz Amaral and Wendy Leandro
13. Multiple embedding of relative clauses in Karitiana Luciana Storto, Karin Vivanco and Ivan Rocha
Part IV. Recursion in the PP Domain: 14. Recursion in the acquisition path for hierarchical syntactic structure Tom Roeper and Yohei Oseki
15. Self-embedded recursive postpositional phrases in Pirahã: a pilot study Filomena Sandalo, Cilene Rodrigues, Tom Roeper, Luiz Amaral, Marcus Maia and Glauber Romling da Silva
16. Strong continuity and children's development of DP recursion Ana T. Pérez-Leroux, Anny Castilla-Earls, Susana Béjar, Diane Massam and Tyler Peterson
17. Prosody and recursion in Kuikuro: DPs vs PPs Bruna Franchetto
18. The processing of PP embedding and coordination in Karajá and in Portuguese Marcus Maia, Aniela França, Aline Gesualdi, Aleria Lage, Cristiane Oliveira, Marije Soto and Juliana Gomes.

Subject Areas: Grammar, syntax & morphology [CFK], Linguistics [CF]