Syntactic Argumentation

<p>The aim of this chapter is to discuss the role of syntactic argumentation in the description of English grammar. The chapter first discusses some of the general principles that are used in syntactic argumentation, namely <italic>economy</italic> and <italic>elegance</italic>, which are regarded as two dimensions of <italic>simplicity</italic>. These principles are then exemplified in a number of case studies. The final section discusses how argumentation can be used to establish constituency in clauses.</p>