Data Representativity and Granularity in Spanish Syntax Subjecthood across Dialects and Methodologies in Spanish Routledge Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics Series

Data Representativity and Granularity in Spanish Syntax focuses on the dialogue between Generative Grammar, Variationism, and experimental linguistics with a unique emphasis on Spanish linguistics.

Combining formal syntax and empirical data collection, this volume analyzes and compares various data collection methods in syntactic theory, and examines a wide variety of approaches to gain novel insight in this emerging area. Through the case study of subject properties in Spanish, with an emphasis on how differences in data collection and data analysis standards may shape our perception of the object of study, this book addresses the following questions: (a) How do the data gathered through the standard methodology in each discipline diverge (if at all) and why? and (b) What kind of research questions can be answered with the standard methodology in each field? The volume argues for methodological crosspollination to avoid forcing data to conform to field-specific expectations and to appreciate language variation for what it has to tell us about linguistic theory, marrying the goals of Generative Grammar with data-driven research.

This is an essential resource for researchers in the area of formal and generative syntax, linguists with an interest in data collection standard in syntax, and graduate or advanced undergraduate students in the field of Spanish linguistics.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Theoretical Syntax at the crossroads: Acceptability judgments on trial

Chapter 3: Subjecthood across methodologies in Spanish: On the concept of syntactic evidence

Chapter 4: Microvariation and dialect distance in the null subject properties of Spanish: Dialectology, corpora, and introspective judgments

Chapter 5: Beyond acceptability judgments in experimental linguistics: Relativized Minimality as a tool for interdisciplinary dialogue

Chapter 6: Conclusion

Iván Ortega-Santos is Professor of Spanish Linguistics in the Department of World Languages and Literatures and Faculty Affiliate at the Institute for Intelligent Systems at the University of Memphis, USA.