ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the role that prominence and locality play in grammar. It argues that prominence and locality, which are often interrelated and interact with each other, are the two most important factors in the grammar of natural language. It is claimed that there are two general principles at work in any grammatical system:
(1) The Principle of Prominence
The more prominent one is preferred to the less prominent one in syntactic derivation and interpretation.
(2) The Principle of Locality
The closer one is preferred to the less close one in syntactic derivation and interpretation.
It is argued that the interaction of the conditions set up on these two general principles can account for not only the interpretation of wh-questions but also that of reflexives in Chinese and English.
