Universal Semantic Syntax
A Semiotactic Approach

Offers a comprehensive and accessible introduction to a novel theory of syntax, which analyzes grammar from a semantic perspective.

Egbert Fortuin (Author), Hetty Geerdink-Verkoren (Author)

9781108476805, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 9 May 2019

206 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 1.6 cm, 0.43 kg

Syntactic theory has been dominated in the last decades by theories that disregard semantics in their approach to syntax. Presenting a truly semantic approach to syntax, this book takes as its primary starting point the idea that syntax deals with the relations between meanings expressed by form-meaning elements and that the same types of relations can be found cross-linguistically. The theory provides a way to formalize the syntactic relations between meanings so that each fragment of grammar can be analyzed in a clear-cut way. A comprehensive introduction into the theoretical concepts of the theory is provided, with analyzes of numerous examples in English and various other languages, European and non-European, to illustrate the concepts. The theory discussed will enable linguists to look for similarities between languages, while at the same time acknowledging important language specific features.

Part I. The Semiotactic Theory: 1. Basic theoretical principles
2. Semiotactic relations and symbols
3. Nexus: subject-predicate relation
4. Valences
5. Set expression 'SE'
6. Nexus relation as entity (Bahuvrihi)
7. Negation
8. The auxiliary verb 'do'
9. Appositions
10. Formal and syntactic sentences
11. Abstraction
12. The basic principles of the formalization
Part II. Application of the Theory: 1. Noun modifications
2. Verb constructions
3. Impersonal constructions
4. Other constructions in non-European languages
5. Word order and propositional contents
Conclusion: the syntactic theory from a semantic perspective.

Subject Areas: Grammar, syntax & morphology [CFK], Semantics, discourse analysis, etc [CFG], Linguistics [CF]