Tel: (852) 3943 7069 / 3943 7572 / 3943 7392
Fax:
(852) 2603 6048 |
Email: swtang@cuhk.edu.hk


Reading Group on Chomsky 2005 & 2006 (9/2006)

An informal reading group on two recent manuscripts 'On phases' and 'Approaching UG from below' by Noam Chomsky will be held.

  • Date: September 9, 2006 (Saturday)
  • Time: 2pm - 5pm
  • Venue: AG 507, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

The PDF version of these manuscripts can be downloaded here (by courtesy of and with permission of the author):

The focus of the reading group will be mainly on the new technicalities proposed in these two papers. The issues we may touch upon include the following:

  • How to entertain the strong minimalist thesis SMT?
  • What is new about the phase theory?
  • How do External Merge EM and Internal Merge IM differ?
  • What role do C, T, v*, and V play?
  • How to distinguish A and A'-positions?
  • How to derive the CED effects?
  • How could nominals be analyzed under the phase theory?

Participants are strongly encouraged to read the following supplementary background readings for the Minimalist Program.

  • Chomsky, Noam. 2000. Minimalist inquiries: the framework. In Roger Martin, David Michaels, and Juan Uriagereka, eds., Step by Step: Essays on Minimalist Syntax in Honor of Howard Lasnik, 89-155. Cambridge, MA.: The MIT Press.
  • Chomsky, Noam. 2001. Derivation by phase. In Michael Kenstowicz ed., Ken Hale: a Life in Language, 1-52. Cambridge, MA.: The MIT Press.
  • Chomsky, Noam. 2004. Beyond explanatory adequacy. In Adriana Belletti, ed. Structures and beyond, 104-131. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Chomsky, Noam. 2005. Three factors in language design. Linguistic Inquiry 36: 1-22.

All are welcome!

Inquiries: Sze-Wing Tang (sw.tang@polyu.edu.hk) | Joanna Sio (joanna.sio@polyu.edu.hk)

(Latest update: May 15, 2007)