Technical Innovations
The exploration of minimalist questions has led to several radical changes in the technical apparatus of transformational generative grammatical theory. Some of the most important are:
- The generalization of X-bar theory into Bare Phrase Structure (see below).
- The simplification of representational levels in the grammatical model, eliminating the distinction between deep structure and surface structure in favor of more explicitly derivational approach.
- The elimination of the notion of government.
- The inclusion of a single point of interaction between syntax and the interfaces (conceptual/intensional and sensori-motor), commonly called the point of Spell-Out.
- The idea that syntactic derivations proceed by clearly delineated stages called phases (see below).
Read more about this topic: Minimalist Program
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