TITLE:
Advancements in Understanding the Syntax-Discourse/Syntax-Pragmatics Interface—Review of Shigeru Miyagawa (2022): Syntax in the Treetops
AUTHORS:
Jianyong Song, Menglin Deng
KEYWORDS:
Syntax in the Treetop, Syntax-Discourse/Syntax-Pragmatics Interface
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Linguistics,
Vol.14 No.2,
April
23,
2024
ABSTRACT: “Syntax in the Treetop” represents the latest groundbreaking work by MIT linguist Miyagawa, offering profound insights into syntactic structures at the top of the syntactic tree. It addresses critical issues in understanding the interface between syntax and discourse/pragmatics, particularly in the emerging field of syntacticization of discourse information. This paper provides an overview of the key concepts presented in the book, elucidating Professor Miyagawa’s innovative ideas on expanding syntax into the domain of discourse. Our review highlights several significant contributions made by the author, including advancements in the theory of left periphery in syntactic cartography, the crucial role of syntax in speech acts and conveying meaning, and the essential distinction between human language and animal communication systems.