The Architecture of Determiners

This work explores the closed class of determiners in German and other Germanic languages, revealing structural regularities and connections to syntax, morphology, and adjectival projections, challenging traditional assumptions about function words.

"The Architecture of Determiners" is an insightful exploration of function words, specifically focusing on the closed class of determiners. The author, Thomas Leu, meticulously examines various determiners in German and other Germanic languages, uncovering unexpected structural regularities that have not been previously investigated. This work challenges the traditional view that function words are syntactically atomic, revealing instead a complex anatomy that mirrors familiar syntactic patterns found in clauses.

Leu's analysis is particularly centered on Swiss German and German, while also drawing comparisons with other Germanic and non-Germanic languages. He delves into the internal structure of determiners, discussing categories such as demonstratives, distributive quantifiers, possessive and negative determiners, and interrogative determiners. His central thesis posits that these determiners can be understood as extended adjectival projections, which significantly connects to the broader discussion of adjectival and determiner inflection in German.

In addition to examining the structure of determiners, Leu addresses the intricate dynamics of agreement within the language. He presents a novel perspective on the strong versus weak agreement alternation, suggesting that adjectives move within their own extended projection, akin to verb movement in clauses. This innovative approach provides a fresh understanding of nominative and accusative inflection. Furthermore, the book explores dative and genitive morphology, distinguishing it from adjectival and determiner inflection, leading to a surprising interpretation of the systematic patterns observed in German adjectival inflection. Overall, this work contributes significantly to the field of morphology and syntax, offering a comprehensive framework for understanding determiners.