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Single Idea 2581

[from 'Troubles with Functionalism' by Ned Block, in 19. Language / C. Assigning Meanings / 1. Syntax ]

Full Idea

Linguistics rejects (on theoretical grounds) the intuition that the sentence "the boy the girl the cat bit scratched died" is ungrammatical.

Clarification

Cat bit girl; girl scratched boy; boy died

Gist of Idea

Intuition may say that a complex sentence is ungrammatical, but linguistics can show that it is not

Source

Ned Block (Troubles with Functionalism [1978], p. 78)

Book Reference

'The Philosophy of Mind', ed/tr. Beakley,B /Ludlow P [MIT 1992], p.78


A Reaction

Once we have disentangled it, we practical speakers have no right to say it is ungrammatical. It isn't only theory. The sentence is just stylistically infelicitous.