ABSTRACT
A term in transformational grammar for syntactic structures which limit the scope of transformational rules ( transformation) and interpretation rules so that they can only be used within certain domains. For example, (a) adnominal sentences, (b) sentential subjects, and (c) co-ordinated structures are islands. For certain rules, this term, coined by Ross in 1967, suggests that it is impossible to leave an island with a transformational movement.
