Re: [lojban] Re: X-bar, chomsky and lojban

[And Rosta <and.rosta@gmail.com>]

> On Mon, 15 May 2006 bill@thebranchhearth.net wrote:
>
> > Does anyone know if the Lojban grammar is consistent with the X-bar 
> > theory put forth by Chomsky.

If you mean X-bar theory in its most generic sense (= headed phrases) then IMO the answer is: Basically yes, but iff elided terminators are syntactically present even though unpronounced.  (The terminator would be head of the phrase it terminates.)

If you mean X-bar theory in some narrower theory-specific sense, then IMO the answer is: Almost certainly not, but this is uninteresting.

I once had a student do a dissertation on a dependency grammar analysis of Lojban syntax (essentially equivalent to generic X-bar). It was instructive to compare his analyses with the baroque & inhuman trees he drew on the basis of the official grammar. I'll see if I can find time to hunt  down the electronic copy I once had.

--And.