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Anaphoric Relations in Hindi and English

Written by Madhu Gurtu

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138 pages, about 3 hours of reading

Foreign Language Study

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About this book

Description: The book explores the anaphoric relations in Hindi (and English) in the framework of the Government and Binding Theory (GB) developed by Chomsky (1980-81) to account for complex surface properties of a language in a principled manner. In particular, the book deals with the three principles of the Binding Theory of GB and tests their universal applicability vis-à-vis Hindi data. The present study investigates the conditions under which nominal elements in Hindi (whether they are referential expressions, pronominal elements or anaphors) may stand in a relation of co-reference to one another. The book concerns itself with the question of considering for the GB theory the implications of the consequences of the investigations. The book also suggests some possible modifications to explain and accommodate the observed differences. The book contributes to linguistics research both at a descriptive and theoretical level. It also helps uncover systematic patterns of both similarity and variation between Hindi and English. It also points to various areas of research needed to be conducted before a comprehensive theory of Hindi syntax can be arrived at.

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Reading guide

Themes, characters and key ideas in Anaphoric Relations in Hindi and English, written by Chaptra AI.

  • about 8 hours
  • advanced
  • analytical
  • rigorous
  • theoretical

Madhu Gurtu's "Anaphoric Relations in Hindi and English" is a specialized linguistic study that rigorously examines how anaphoric elements (reflexives, pronouns, referential expressions) function in Hindi, with comparative insights from English. Framed within Chomsky's Government and Binding (GB) Theory, particularly its Binding Theory principles, the book tests the universal applicability of these theoretical constructs against empirical Hindi data. It investigates the conditions governing co-reference among nominal elements, identifies areas where Hindi data challenges the existing GB framework, and proposes potential modifications to accommodate these observed cross-linguistic differences. Ultimately, the work makes significant contributions to both descriptive and theoretical linguistics, highlighting systematic patterns of linguistic similarity and variation while outlining avenues for future research in Hindi syntax.

“The book explores the anaphoric relations in Hindi (and English) in the framework of the Government and Binding Theory (GB) developed by Chomsky (1980-81).”

Key themes

Universal Grammar and Cross-Linguistic Variation
This is a central underlying concern of the book: to what extent are the principles governing anaphoric relations universal across all human languages (part of Universal Grammar), and where do language-specific variations emerge? The comparison between Hindi and English is key to exploring this fundamental debate in linguistics.
Empirical Testing and Refinement of Linguistic Theories
The book exemplifies the scientific method in linguistics: proposing a theoretical framework (GB), deriving predictions, testing those predictions against empirical data (Hindi), and then refining the theory based on the observations. This iterative process of theory-building is a major 'theme'.
Descriptive Adequacy for Hindi Syntax
Beyond theoretical implications, the book makes a significant contribution to simply describing the complex syntactic behavior of anaphoric elements in Hindi. It aims to provide a clear and principled account of how co-reference works in the language, which is valuable in its own right for Hindi linguistics.

Worth discussing

How effectively does the Government and Binding (GB) framework, particularly its Binding Theory, account for anaphoric phenomena in typologically diverse languages like Hindi?

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