This book introduces formal grammar theories that play a role in current linguistic the-
orizing (Phrase Structure Grammar, Transformational Grammar/Government & Binding,
Generalized Phrase Structure Grammar, Lexical Functional Grammar, Categorial Gram-
mar, Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar, Construction Grammar, Tree Adjoining
Grammar). The key assumptions are explained and it is shown how the respective the-
ory treats arguments and adjuncts, the active/passive alternation, local reorderings, verb
placement, and fronting of constituents over long distances. The analyses are explained
with German as the object language.
The second part of the book compares these approaches with respect to their predictions
regarding language acquisition and psycholinguistic plausibility. The nativism hypothe-
sis, which assumes that humans posses genetically determined innate language-specific
knowledge, is critically examined and alternative models of language acquisition are dis-
cussed. The second part then addresses controversial issues of current theory building
such as the question of flat or binary branching structures being more appropriate, the
question whether constructions should be treated on the phrasal or the lexical level, and
the question whether abstract, non-visible entities should play a role in syntactic analyses.
It is shown that the analyses suggested in the respective frameworks are often translatable
into each other. The book closes with a chapter showing how properties common to all
languages or to certain classes of languages can be captured.

“With this critical yet fair reflection on various grammatical theories, Müller fills what
has been a major gap in the literature.” Karen Lehmann, Zeitschrift für Rezensionen zur
germanistischen Sprachwissenschaft, 2012

“Stefan Müller’ s recent introductory textbook, “Grammatiktheorie”, is an astonishingly
comprehensive and insightful survey of the present state of syntactic theory for beginning
students.” Wolfgang Sternefeld und Frank Richter, Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft, 2012

“This is the kind of work that has been sought after for a while. [...] The impartial and
objective discussion offered by the author is particularly refreshing.” Werner Abraham,
Germanistik, 2012