Introduction to Government and Binding Theory

This textbook provides an introduction to the current state of Government and Binding Theory, using as its basis the standard version of the theory as developed in Chomsky's more recent writings. It incorporates the ideas presented in Chomsky's "Lectures on Government and Binding", modified by his subsequent works up to and including "Barriers". The book takes as its starting point the projection principle, the notion that all syntactic structure is projected from the lexicon, with each chapter developing further the idea that syntax can be built on the basis of lexical information. The first four chapters discuss the distribution of overt material, chiefly Noun Phrases. The following chapters introduce non-overt categories and the specific principles governing their distribution. While the discussion focuses on the syntax of English, the approach throughout is comparative and the book concludes with chapters showing how GB theory can be applied to the study of Germanic and Romance languages. In short, this book offers a complete introduction to the current state of Government and Binding Theory, suitable for readers with some basic knowledge of generative linguistics.