Approaches to mismatch: introduction
Elaine J. Francis and Laura A. Michaelis
University of Hong Kong and University of Colorado
Abstract:
The term 'mismatch' has been used to describe a number of linguistic phenomena
involving mappings between
(apparently) incongruent elements or structures, where incongruity
is defined relative to some typical or
default condition. Mismatch phenomena often defy principles of
grammar designed to account for the ordinary default cases, and as a consequence
they challenge us to develop new and better theories of grammar.
Mismatch phenomena have been crucial, for example, in the development of
constraint-based parallel architecture theories. They provide important
evidence for distinctions among different levels of grammar, for the parallel
representation of these distinctions, and for the existence of conflicting
constraints. The six papers presented at this Approaches to Mismatch
workshop explore the consequences of various kinds of mismatch phenomena
for theories of grammar. The first two papers by Robert Malouf and
Jerrold Sadock deal with issues about the consequences of mismatch phenomena
for the architecture of grammar. Malouf proposes a new construction-based
model of constraint interactions, while Sadock argues in favor of a multi-modular
theory of grammar. The second two papers by Alex Alsina and Farrell
Ackerman focus more specifically on the issue of mismatch in complex predicates.
Ackerman argues that complex predicate formation is a kind of lexeme formation,
while Alsina analyzes three distinct kinds of complex predicates involving
different kinds of mismatch. Finally, de Swart and Michaelis discuss
the mismatch phenomenon of aspectual coercion. De Swart explores
cross-linguistic variation in the division of labor between aspectual operators
and coercion, while Michaelis argues in favor of a construction-based approach
to coercion.