Functional categories, X-bar theory, and grammaticalization theory

Towards a Semantics of X-Bar Theory

Grammar encodes meaning. X-Bar Theory captures an important grammatical generalization. What is missing is a semantics of X-Bar Theory. This paper is a step towards providing such a semantics. In the process of providing a semantics for X-Bar Theory, certain modifications to X-Bar Theory are proposed to bring it into closer alignment with that semantics. Referential and relational meaning are t...

The X-bar Theory of Phrase Structure

X-bar theory is widely regarded as a substantive theory of phrase structure properties in natural languages. In this paper we will demonstrate that a formalization of its content reveals very little substance in its claims. We state and discuss six conditions that encapsulate the claims of X-bar theory: Lexicality — each nonterminal is a projection of a preterminal; Succession — each X dominate...

THE X - BAR THEORY OF PHRASE STRUCTUREAndr

X-bar theory is widely regarded as a substantive theory of phrase structure properties in natural languages. In this paper we will demonstrate that a formalization of its content reveals very little substance in its claims. We state and discuss six conditions that encapsulate the claims of X-bar theory: Lexicality | each nonterminal is a projection of a preterminal; Succession | each X n+1 domi...

An x-bar theory of Government Phonology*

Rescuing traditional ( historical ) linguistics from grammaticalization theory

There is a rich history, dating back, according to Heine (2003), at least to observations in the 18th century by Condillac (1746) and Horne Tooke (1857) (first published 1786), if not earlier, associated with the study of the phenomenon of grammaticalization, i.e. how grammatical elements arise out of less (or non-) grammatical elements. 1 Still, only in the past twenty-five or so years has it ...