ERIC Number: EJ1179239
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1916-4742
EISSN: N/A
A Comparison of "A-over-A" and the Psychological Momentum Theory
Zhou, Xiaoying
English Language Teaching, v11 n6 p86-92 2018
Chomsky put forth his "A-over-A" theory in his book "Language and Mind", which means if a sentence contains (S… (A...) A…) S (A-over-A) structure, then this sentence can only be transformed on the basis of the larger phrase. In this paper the author puts forth the "Psychological Momentum" theory to analyze the sentences which are ambiguous in meaning according to Chomsky's "A-over-A" theory. In the author's opinion, explaining sentences from the viewpoint of pure grammatical stratum will lead the researchers into a blind alley. As compared with Chomsky's "A-over-A" theory, the "Psychological Momentum" theory is very useful to language researchers, so long as a sentence enters into communication, no matter how ambiguous its meaning may be, it will soon become clear without any ambiguity.
Descriptors: Comparative Analysis, Ambiguity (Semantics), Linguistic Theory, Psychological Patterns, Language Research, Grammar, Discourse Analysis, Phrase Structure, Communication (Thought Transfer)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A