Thomas Walsh, Louisiana State University (Retired)

"Walsh's slim but comprehensive text offers the beginning student of current syntactic theory an accessible and useful foundation....Plenty of example data and trees....teachers will find the book a concise, well-developed addition...." Language

2000, 119 pages, paper, illustrated, $16.95. U.S.
ISBN 0-9644636-8-7. Instructor’s Manual available.

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This short text is an absolute prerequisite to understanding Chomsky’s minimalist program. It conveys the essence of generative theory in language clear enough for a novice to understand. This text stands in sharp contrast to typical syntax texts, many of which are more like encyclopedias than texts and stretch to more than 600 pages. Walsh’s text explains the motivation for X-bar treatment of all phrase types (NP, VP, AP, PP, IP, and CP) and for four transformations (WH-Movement, NP-Movement, V-to-I Movement, and I-Movement).

FEATURES

• Six short chapters: average length 20 pages.
• Chapter summaries.
• Over 70 individual exercises and problem sets.