영어 통사변화의 문법이론

Abstract

Several theories have been proposed recently on the diachronic study of English syntax. They are the results of the work on diachronic syntax conducted in a generative perspective. In many ways the earliest work by Klima on case markings and wh-movement is the best, at least from the viewpoint of methodological clarity. Traugott's careful study of English auxiliary is instructive from a similar point of view. Lightfoot has made a very important contribution to the study of diachronic syntax. Lightfoot's view of what constitutes syntactic change and what causes it is more convincing when compared with other theories of syntactic change. In this paper, I review some of the pre-theoretical difficulties which arise in the study of diachronic syntax, sketch each theory briefly, and point out its problems and defects. Regardless of a few criticisms directed to Lightfoot, which come from both generative and non-generative camps, his grammatical theory-based on the Extended Standard Theory model-seems more plausible and explanative.