Evolutionary syntax , by Ljiljana Progovac, OUP (2015) 280 pp, £24.99. In this monograph, Progovac argues for an incremental evolution of cognitive capacities underpinning syntactic structure, with Conjoin (a binary, non-recursive operation immune to movement and embedding) anteceding recursive Merge. This distinction plays out over four stages, described in Chapters 1–4, with Merge only visible in stage 4. 1. Single words; 2. Two-word combinations, for example, Case closed ; 3. ‘Proto-coordination’, where linkers like English as or Mandarin de mark binary predicate–argument relations; 4. Specific functional categories, permitting recursive syntactic structures. Progovac’s primary evidence comes from syntactic analysis of constructions, such as those above, identified as linguistic fossils (Jackendoff 1999). However, most chapters contain sections on ‘corroborating evidence’, summarizing findings from acquisition, imaging studies, and other related fields, although the interpretation of such evidence is often inconclusive (Boeckx 2016). There are several innovations in the details. For example, the stage 2 grammar, which creates binary verb–noun (VN) combinations, is claimed to have no subject–object distinction (resulting in ‘absolutive’ grammar in Progovac’s terms). This is reflected in English and Serbian VN compounds, where a rattlesnake is a snake that rattles, while rotgut is alcohol that rots guts. Similar indeterminacy is demonstrated in Tongan and Riau Indonesian. A second novel claim is that the capacity for binary protosyntactic combination within a ‘clause’ (stage 2) is linked to binary combination of clauses (stage 2a), giving a strictly finite device which can mimic subordination to a limited extent. Likewise, linkers at stage 3 may appear between predicate and argument, or between clauses. Many of these novel accounts of individual constructions are genuinely insightful and thought-provoking. Progovac argues that constructions which look quirky and cussed from the perspective of modern syntactic theory may be elegantly analysed within the terms of less expressive models of syntax. As … rob.truswell{at}ed.ac.uk

中文翻译：

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进化语法，作者 Ljiljana Progovac

进化语法，Ljiljana Progovac，OUP (2015) 280 页，24.99 英镑。在这本专着中，Progovac 主张支持句法结构的认知能力的渐进式进化，Conjoin（一种不受移动和嵌入影响的二元非递归操作）先于递归 Merge。这种区别体现在四个阶段，在第 1-4 章中进行了描述，合并仅在阶段 4 中可见。 1. 单个词；2. 两个词的组合，例如 Case closed ；3. 'Proto-coordination'，其中链接器如英语 as 或普通话 de 标记二元谓词 - 参数关系；4. 特定的功能类别，允许递归句法结构。Progovac 的主要证据来自结构的句法分析，例如上述结构，被确定为语言化石（Jackendoff 1999）。然而，大多数章节都包含关于“确证”的部分，总结了采集、成像研究和其他相关领域的发现，尽管对此类证据的解释通常没有定论（Boeckx 2016）。在细节上有几处创新。例如，创建二元动词-名词 (VN) 组合的第 2 阶段语法声称没有主宾区别（导致 Progovac 术语中的“绝对”语法）。这反映在英语和塞尔维亚语 VN 复合词中，响尾蛇是一种会发出嘎嘎声的蛇，而 rotgut 是会腐烂内脏的酒精。在汤加语和廖内语中也表现出类似的不确定性。第二个新颖的主张是“子句”（阶段 2）内的二元原始句法组合的能力与子句的二元组合（阶段 2a）相关联，给出一个严格有限的装置，可以在有限的范围内模仿从属。同样，阶段 3 的链接器可能出现在谓词和参数之间，或子句之间。许多这些对个人结构的新颖描述都非常有见地和发人深省。Progovac 认为，从现代句法理论的角度来看，看起来古怪和被诅咒的结构可以在表达能力较低的句法模型的术语中进行优雅的分析。正如…… rob.truswell{at}ed.ac.uk Progovac 认为，从现代句法理论的角度来看，看起来古怪和被诅咒的结构可以在表达能力较低的句法模型的术语中进行优雅的分析。正如…… rob.truswell{at}ed.ac.uk Progovac 认为，从现代句法理论的角度来看，看起来古怪和被诅咒的结构可以在表达能力较低的句法模型的术语中进行优雅的分析。正如…… rob.truswell{at}ed.ac.uk