The Oxford Handbook of Universal Grammar

This handbook provides a critical guide to the most central proposition in modern linguistics: the notion, generally known as Universal Grammar, that a universal set of structural principles underlies the grammatical diversity of the world's languages. Part I considers the implications of Universal Grammar for philosophy of mind and philosophy of language, and examines the history of the theory. Part II focuses on linguistic theory, looking at topics such as explanatory adequacy and how phonology and semantics fit into Universal Grammar. Parts III and IV look respectively at the insights derived from UG-inspired research on language acquisition, and at comparative syntax and language typology, while part V considers the evidence for Universal Grammar in phenomena such as creoles, language pathology, and sign language. The book will be a vital reference for linguists, philosophers, and cognitive scientists.

Ian Roberts is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Cambridge, having previously held posts in Geneva, Bangor, and Stuttgart. He was president of Generative Linguistics of the Old World (GLOW) in 1993-2001, and of the Societas Linguistica Europaea in 2012-13. He is currently Principle Investigator on the European Research Council Advanced Grant 'Rethinking Comparative Syntax'. He has published six monographs and two textbooks, including Diachronic Syntax (OUP, 2007), and has edited several collections of articles.

- List of Figures and Tables - List of Abbreviations - The Contributors - 1: Ian Roberts: Introduction - PART I: Philosophical Background - 2: Wolfram Hinzen: Universal Grammar and Philosophy of Mind - 3: Peter Ludlow: Universal Grammar and Philosophy of Language - 4: John McGilvray: On the History of Universal Grammar - PART II: Linguistic Theory - 5: Luigi Rizzi: The Concept of Explanatory Adequacy - 6: Terje Lohndal and Juan Uriagereka: Third-factor Explanations and Universal Grammar - 7: Frederick J. Newmeyer: Formal and Functional Explanation - 8: Brett Miller, Neil Myler, and Bert Vaux: Phonology in Universal Grammar - 9: George Tsoulas: Semantics in Universal Grammar - PART III: Language Acquisition - 10: Howard Lasnik and Jeffrey L. Lidz: The Argument from the Poverty of the Stimulus - 11: Janet Dean Fodor and William G. Sakas: Learnability - 12: Maria Teresa Guasti: First Language Acquisition - 13: Bonnie D. Schwartz and Rex A. Sprouse: The Role of Universal Grammar in Non-native Language Acquisition - PART IV: Comparative Syntax - 14: C.-T. James Huang and Ian Roberts: Principles and Parameters of Universal Grammar - 15: Anders Holmberg: Linguistic Typology - 16: Cristina Guardiano and Giuseppe Longobardi: Parameter Theory and Parametric Comparison - PART V: Wider Issues - 17: Enoch O. Aboh and Michel DeGraff: A Null Theory of Creole Formation Based on Universal Grammar - 18: Eric Fuß: Language Change - 19: Ianthi Tsimpli, Maria Kambanaros, and Kleanthes K. Grohmann: Language Pathology - 20: Carlo Cecchetto: The Syntax of Sign Language and Universal Grammar - 21: Bridget D. Samuels, Marc D. Hauser, and Cedric Boeckx: Looking for UG in Animals: A Case Study in Phonology - References - Index of Authors - Index of Subjects