LINGUIST List 21.3047 Fri Jul 23 2010 Diss: Syntax: Steele: 'A Hubterranean View of Syntax: An analysis ...' Editor for this issue: Mfon Udoinyang <mfonlinguistlist.org> To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm. Directory         1.    Julie Steele, A Hubterranean View of Syntax: An analysis of linguistic form through network theory Message 1: A Hubterranean View of Syntax: An analysis of linguistic form through network theory Date: 21-Jul-2010 From: Julie Steele <julie.steele.linggmail.com> Subject: A Hubterranean View of Syntax: An analysis of linguistic form through network theory E-mail this message to a friend Institution: University of Queensland Program: PhD in Linguistics Dissertation Status: Completed Degree Date: 2010 Author: Julie Louise Steele Dissertation Title: A Hubterranean View of Syntax: An analysis of linguistic form through network theory Linguistic Field(s): Syntax Dissertation Director: John Ingram Robert Pensalfini Dr Andrew Smith Dissertation Abstract: Language is part of nature, and as such, certain general principles that generate the form of natural systems, will also create the patterns found within linguistic form. Since network theory is one of the best theoretical frameworks for extracting general principles from diverse systems, this thesis examines how a network perspective can shed light on the characteristics and the learning of syntax. When nodes represent words and links represent precedence relations between adjacent words in a sentence, patterns of word co-occurrences form a network (BNC World Edition 2001; Sachs 1983; MacWhinney 2000). The resulting network, characterized by hub words that are highly connected and frequent, is formed through an optimisation process that maximizes the cohesion between words whilst maximizing the amount of novel word combinations. Within this optimized network it is argued that the notion of a general syntactic category is not evidenced and as such is inadmissible. Thus, non-general or construction-specific categories are preferred (in line with Croft 2001). Furthermore, syntactic categories are formed within the areas of the network highlighted by the hub words which are temporarily displaced from the optimized state of the network. There is also evidence suggesting that this hub structure is not only found in the word co-occurrence network, but within other theoretical syntactic levels. Factors affecting the choice of a verb that is generalised early relate to the formation and the characteristics of hubs. Furthermore, the optimisation process that creates hubterranean structure is implicated in the verb-construction subpart network of the adult's linguistic knowledge, the psychological principles underpinning the mapping of the construction as well as certain strategies aiding first language learning and adult artificial language learning. Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue Page Updated: 23-Jul-2010       About LINGUIST    |   Contact Us       While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.