Plurality in the Label-Less Grammar Model

In generative syntax, a core role is usually played by multiple, if not, all of a range of label(-like) elements (lexical category labels, functional category labels, X-bar theoretic sublabels, formal features). Whilst the role of such elements is substantially reduced in Minimalist proposals like Chomsky’s (1995, [1995] 2015) Bare Phrase Structure, various connected labelling algorithm proposals, and Collins’ (2002) label-free theory, formal features are still central in such proposals. This talk presents a brief overview of the Label-Less Grammar Model (LLGM) presented in my PhD dissertation (Wall 2025), which aims to pursue a more radical approach than these previous accounts. First, a brief overview is provided of the core components of the LLGM: its simple, pre-syntactic lexicon, single Pair-Merge operation (Zwart 2012), and the novel C-I interface condition, Merge as Specify. Second, it will be shown how the LLGM can be applied to English plurality and some cross-linguistic extensions, including accounting for various plurality-based phenomena (plurals in compounds, pluralia tantum, double plurals), whilst requiring fewer assumptions than previous generative accounts of plurality.

If you are already a member of our team on MS Teams and/or are affiliated with UU, please use this link to join the talk.
If you experience any trouble with the link above and/or you are NOT affiliated with UU, please email us so that we can add you to the team.

*** We kindly ask you to request to join the Syntax Interface Lectures team by 15:30 on the day of the talk***, as we have experienced some accessibility issues in the past and want everyone to be able to enjoy the talk in its entirety.