The syntax of Spanish / Karen Zagona.

Print version record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 273-280) and index.

Overview of the grammar -- General characteristics of the syntax -- The subject constituent -- The predicate constituent -- Main clauses -- Subordinate clauses -- Syntactic dialects -- The Noun Phrase -- The distribution of argument NPs -- Predicative NPs -- The constituents of NP -- Determiners of argument NPs -- Pre- and post-determiners -- Specifiers of predicative NPs -- Constituent order within NP -- The Verb Phrase -- The distribution of VP -- The external argument of VP -- Complements of V: prepositional complements vs. adjuncts -- Complements: direct object DPs -- Indirect objects -- Complements of "unaccusative" verbs -- VP-related functional categories -- VP-adverbs and the verb/tense relation -- Auxiliary verbs, tense and aspect -- Clitics -- Negation -- Subjects, topics, and declarative constituent order -- The problem of "free" subject order -- Discourse roles: Focus and Topic -- [Topic] movement to the specifier of IP -- Dislocated Topics -- Subject order and the NS parameter -- A'-movement and X movement through COMP -- Wh-movement -- (Contrastive) Focus -- Other A'-movements -- Head movement to (and through) COMP.

Clear and well-organised, this textbook is an introduction to Spanish syntax, which assumes no prior knowledge of current theory. Beginning with a descriptive overview of the major characteristics of the grammar, it goes on to describe facts about Spanish, such as its word order, notions of 'subject', 'direct object', 'auxiliary verb' and so on. The book combines traditional grammatical description with perspectives gained from recent research in the Principles and Parameters framework. It also presents useful theoretical notions such as semantic roles, Case, and Predication. Accessibly written, the book gives just enough background so as to allow the reader to understand the lines of investigation that have been pursued in accounting for such issues as clause structure and constituent order. It will be of use to students who are interested in grammar, Spanish, or in some of the basic results of modern, formal linguistic theory.

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