Islands (was Re: Relative clauses and lambda calculus)

David Peterson írta: "I believe that the way this would actually work in
English is with a gap were "him" is.  And there's a special reason that it
won't work. It's because there's an island in here which prevents
abstraction.  It's not that it *has* to, it's just that in English it does.
There is no structural reason why "This is the man my girlfriend's father is
a friend of John and" shouldn't work in *a* language.  In English, though,
the islands are defined in such a way that it doesn't work. The particular
island in question here is the conjunctive phrase, but it has a particular
name that's escaping me..."

I recall you referring to "islands" before. What are they, exactly? And what
are some more English "island rules"?

Incidentally, do you know of any natlangs (or conlangs) that permit such
constructions? Any examples?

"Fuzzy logic", what's that too?

Trebor