A5081027611- Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation
- Language and cultural evolution
- Historical Linguistics and Language Studies
- Linguistic Variation and Morphology
- Linguistics and language evolution
- Natural Language Processing Techniques
- Linguistics and Discourse Analysis
- Linguistic Studies and Language Acquisition
- Categorization, perception, and language
- Linguistics and Cultural Studies
- Fractal and DNA sequence analysis
- Forensic and Genetic Research
- Linguistic research and analysis
- Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies
- Linguistics, Language Diversity, and Identity
- linguistics and terminology studies
- Gender Studies in Language
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Multilingual Education and Policy
- Phonetics and Phonology Research
- Advanced Algebra and Logic
- semigroups and automata theory
- Language Development and Disorders
- Philosophy, History, and Historiography
- Logic, Reasoning, and Knowledge
University of York
2015-2024
University of Trieste
2003-2017
Scuola Normale Superiore
1985
Current theories place very mild constraints on possible diachronic changes, something at odds with the trivial observation that actual, “language change” represents a tiny fraction of variation made priori available by Universal Grammar. Much recent work in syntax has actually been guided aim describing changes (e.g., parameter resetting), rather than concerns genuine explanation. Here I suggest radically different viewpoint (the Inertial, Theory syntax), namely, syntactic change not...
Abstract The unification of traditionally distinct and apparently unrelated objects inquiry under common more abstract principles is one the most welcome results empirical science. This article proposes to draw together some insights Longobardi (1994, 1996, 2001) into a unified theory object- kind-reference viewed as single grammatical phenomenon, though crosslinguistically parametrized. present account aims improve both in accuracy explanatory force over those outlined articles just cited....
The present paper addresses some foundational issues on the status of parametric linguistics, understood as a partially independent new branch formal grammar and cognitive sciences more generally. Chomsky’s (1964) original three levels adequacy are extended to five it is then suggested that theory parameters, being able deal with cultural variation, in best position achieve at fourth proposed level, one connected historical explanations, methods pursue this goal proposed. development...
The Parametric Comparison Method (PCM, Guardiano & Longobardi 2005, 2009) is grounded on the assumption that syntactic parameters are more appropriate than other traits for use as comparanda historical reconstruction, because they able to provide unambiguous correspondences and objective measurements, thus guaranteeing wide-range applicability quantitative exactness. This article discusses a set of experiments explicitly designed evaluate impact parametric syntax in representing...
ABSTRACT Objectives : The notion that patterns of linguistic and biological variation may cast light on each other population histories dates back to Darwin's times; yet, turning this intuition into a proper research program has met with serious methodological difficulties, especially affecting language comparisons. This article takes advantage two new tools comparative linguistics: refined list Indo‐European cognate words, novel method comparison estimating diversity from universal...
Superficially postverbal subjects of free inversion languages such as, Italian are argued to be able meet two distinct structural analyses: they may occupy either a VP-internal position, as more traditionally assumed, or higher (preverbal and, actually, left-peripheral) with the remnant clause crossing leftward over them by dislocation focus movement. These all and only possibilities expected under recent restrictive theories phrase structure, like one advocated Kayne (1994), exactly those...
Migration is a well-established risk factor for psychotic disorders, and migrant language has been proposed as novel that may improve our understanding of this relationship. Our objective was to explore the association between indicators linguistic distance disorders among first-generation groups.
We show that, contrary to long-standing assumptions, syntactic traits, modeled here within the generative biolinguistic framework, provide insights into deep-time language history. To support this claim, we have encoded diversity of nominal structures using 94 universally definable binary parameters, set in 69 languages spanning across up 13 traditionally irreducible Eurasian families. found a phylogenetic signal that distinguishes all such families and matches family-internal tree...
<i>Objective:</i> To propose a new approach for comparing genetic and linguistic diversity in populations belonging to distantly related groups. <i>Background:</i> Comparisons of differences have proved powerful tools reconstruct human demographic history. Current models assume on both sides that similarities reflect either descent from common ancestry or the balance between isolation contact. Most phylogenies are ultimately based lexical evidence (roughly, words...