Typological Hierarchies In Synchrony And Diachrony

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Typological Hierarchies in Synchrony and Diachrony

Author : Sonia Cristofaro,Fernando Zúñiga
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing Company
Page : 442 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2018-07-15
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789027264459

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Typological Hierarchies in Synchrony and Diachrony by Sonia Cristofaro,Fernando Zúñiga Pdf

Typological hierarchies are widely perceived as one of the most important results of research on language universals and linguistic diversity. Explanations for typological hierarchies, however, are usually based on the synchronic properties of the patterns described by individual hierarchies, not the actual diachronic processes that give rise to these patterns cross-linguistically. This book aims to explore in what ways the investigation of such processes can further our understanding of typological hierarchies. To this end, diachronic evidence about the origins of several phenomena described by typological hierarchies is discussed for several languages by a number of leading scholars in typology, historical linguistics, and language documentation. This evidence suggests a rethinking of possible explanations for typological hierarchies, as well as the very notion of typological universals in general. For this reason, the book will be of interest not only to the broad typological community, but also historical linguists, cognitive linguists, and psycholinguists.

Sociolinguistic and Typological Perspectives on Language Variation

Author : Silvia Ballarè,Guglielmo Inglese
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Page : 226 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2023-10-04
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9783110781168

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Sociolinguistic and Typological Perspectives on Language Variation by Silvia Ballarè,Guglielmo Inglese Pdf

Linguistic variation, loosely defined as the wholesale processes whereby patterns of language structures exhibit divergent distributions within and across languages, has traditionally been the object of research of at least two branches of linguistics: variationist sociolinguistics and linguistic typology. In spite of their similar research agendas, the two approaches have only rarely converged in the description and interpretation of variation. While a number of studies attempting to address at least aspects of this relationship have appeared in recent years, a principled discussion on how the two disciplines may interact has not yet been carried out in a programmatic way. This volume aims to fill this gap and offers a cross-disciplinary venue for discussing the bridging between sociolinguistic and typological research from various angles, with the ultimate goal of laying out the methodological and conceptual foundations of an integrated research agenda for the study of linguistic variation.

The Hittite Middle Voice

Author : Guglielmo Inglese
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 654 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2020-07-13
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789004432307

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The Hittite Middle Voice by Guglielmo Inglese Pdf

In this book, Inglese offers a new description of the middle voice in Hittite, both from a synchronic and a diachronic perspective. The analysis is based on a corpus of original Hittite texts and is framed within current trends in linguistic typology.

Special Onymic Grammar in Typological Perspective

Author : Thomas Stolz,Julia Nintemann
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2023-12-04
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9783111331973

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Special Onymic Grammar in Typological Perspective by Thomas Stolz,Julia Nintemann Pdf

For the first time place names are made the topic of a cross-linguistic account of morphosyntactic properties which formally distinguish place names from personal names and common nouns. It is shown that the behavior of place names in morphology and syntax frequently disagrees with the rules established for other word classes independent of the language’s genetic affiliation, grammatical structure, and geographic location. Place names boast a grammar of their own. They are candidates for the status of a distinct word class. The special grammar of place names comes frequently to the fore in the domain of spatial relations. This fact is explained with reference to functional notions.

Proper Names versus Common Nouns

Author : Javier Caro Reina,Johannes Helmbrecht
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2022-11-07
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9783110672626

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Proper Names versus Common Nouns by Javier Caro Reina,Johannes Helmbrecht Pdf

Recent research has shown that proper names morphosyntactically differ from common nouns in many ways. However, little is known about the morphological and syntactic/distributional differences between proper names and common nouns in less known (Non)-Indo-European languages. This volume brings together contributions which explore morphosyntactic phenomena such as case marking, gender assignment rules, definiteness marking, and possessive constructions from a synchronic, diachronic, and typological perspective. The languages surveyed include Austronesian languages, Basque, English, German, Hebrew, and Romance languages. The volume contributes to a better understanding not only of the contrasts between proper names and common nouns, but also of formal contrasts between different proper name classes such as personal names, place names, and others.

Antipassive

Author : Katarzyna Janic,Alena Witzlack-Makarevich
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing Company
Page : 655 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2021-03-15
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789027260260

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Antipassive by Katarzyna Janic,Alena Witzlack-Makarevich Pdf

This book provides a comprehensive treatment of the morpho-syntactic and semantic aspects of the antipassive construction from synchronic, diachronic, and typological perspectives. The nineteen contributions assembled in this volume address a wide range of aspects pertinent to the antipassive construction, such as lexical semantics, the properties of the antipassive markers, as well as the issue of fuzzy boundaries between the antipassive construction and a range of other formally and functionally similar constructions in genealogically and areally diverse languages. Purely synchronically oriented case studies are supplemented by contributions that shed light on the diachronic development of the antipassive construction and the antipassive markers. The book should be of central interest to many scholars, in particular to those working in the field of language typology, semantics, syntax, and historical linguists, as well as to specialists of the language families discussed in the individual contributions.

The Diachrony of Ditransitives

Author : Chiara Fedriani,Maria Napoli
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Page : 327 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2020-10-26
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9783110701371

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The Diachrony of Ditransitives by Chiara Fedriani,Maria Napoli Pdf

While ample studies exist on ditransitives in various languages, notably from a typological perspective, more work needs to be done on identifying the main processes and factors that trigger and constrain the changes they undergo over time. The goal of this volume is to help fill this gap by bringing together data and information on individual languages that have thus far been left out of the discussion and by expanding our knowledge of already studied linguistic traditions so as to achieve a broader diachronic description. Since one of the distinctive features of ditransitives is their synchronic variability in terms of structural alternation and alignment split, diachronic research can throw up new insights into developmental dynamics that are eminently complementary; namely, on the one hand, the emergence, development and loss of construction alternation and, on the other, the acquisition of new functions over time. The analyses offered in the book yield different and interconnected answers to the general question of how ditransitives change by drawing on different functional principles that play a role in the diachronic reorganization of this dynamic domain and by providing a number of original theoretical suggestions.

Usage-Based Studies in Modern Hebrew

Author : Ruth A. Berman
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing Company
Page : 702 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2020-03-18
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789027262066

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Usage-Based Studies in Modern Hebrew by Ruth A. Berman Pdf

The goal of the volume is to shed fresh light on Modern Hebrew from perspectives aimed at readers interested in the domains of general linguistics, typology, and Semitic studies. Starting with chapters that provide background information on the evolution and sociolinguistic setting of the language, the bulk of the book is devoted to usage-based studies of the morphology, lexicon, and syntax of current Hebrew. Based primarily on original analyses of authentic spoken and online materials, these studies reflect varied theoretical frames-of-reference that are largely model-neutral in approach. To this end, the book presents a functionally motivated, dynamic approach to actual usage, rather than providing strictly structuralist or formal characterizations of particular linguistic systems. Such a perspective is particularly important in the case of a language undergoing accelerated processes of change, in which the gap between prescriptive dictates of the Hebrew Language Establishment and the actual usage of educated, literate but non-expert speaker-writers of current Hebrew is constantly on the rise.

The Oxford Handbook of Word Classes

Author : Eva van Lier
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 1137 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2023-12-07
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9780192594365

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The Oxford Handbook of Word Classes by Eva van Lier Pdf

This handbook explores multiple facets of the study of word classes, also known as parts of speech or lexical categories. These categories are of fundamental importance to linguistic theory and description, both formal and functional, and for both language-internal analyses and cross-linguistic comparison. The volume consists of five parts that investigate word classes from different angles. Chapters in the first part address a range of fundamental issues including diversity and unity in word classes around the world, categorization at different levels of structure, the distinction between lexical and functional words, and hybrid categories. Part II examines the treatment of word classes across a wide range of contemporary linguistic theories, such as Cognitive Grammar, Minimalist Syntax, and Lexical Functional Grammar, while the focus of Part III is on individual word classes, from major categories such as verb and noun to minor ones such as adpositions and ideophones. Part IV provides a number of cross-linguistic case studies, exploring word classes in families including Afroasiatic, Sinitic, Mayan, Austronesian, and in sign languages. Chapters in the final part of the book discuss word classes from the perspective of various sub-disciplines of linguistics, ranging from first and second language acquisition to computational and corpus linguistics. Together, the contributions showcase the importance of word classes for the whole discipline of linguistics, while also highlighting the many ongoing debates in the areas and outlining fruitful avenues for future research.

Communicative Efficiency

Author : Natalia Levshina
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 311 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2022-11-17
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781108898652

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Communicative Efficiency by Natalia Levshina Pdf

All living beings try to save effort, and humans are no exception. This groundbreaking book shows how we save time and energy during communication by unconsciously making efficient choices in grammar, lexicon and phonology. It presents a new theory of 'communicative efficiency', the idea that language is designed to be as efficient as possible, as a system of communication. The new framework accounts for the diverse manifestations of communicative efficiency across a typologically broad range of languages, using various corpus-based and statistical approaches to explain speakers' bias towards efficiency. The author's unique interdisciplinary expertise allows her to provide rich evidence from a broad range of language sciences. She integrates diverse insights from over a hundred years of research into this comprehensible new theory, which she presents step-by-step in clear and accessible language. It is essential reading for language scientists, cognitive scientists and anyone interested in language use and communication.

Explanation in typology

Author : Karsten Schmidtke-Bode,Natalia Levshina,Susanne Maria Michaelis ,Ilja A. Seržant
Publisher : Language Science Press
Page : 278 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2024-06-11
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9783961101474

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Explanation in typology by Karsten Schmidtke-Bode,Natalia Levshina,Susanne Maria Michaelis ,Ilja A. Seržant Pdf

This volume provides an up-to-date discussion of a foundational issue that has recently taken centre stage in linguistic typology and which is relevant to the language sciences more generally: To what extent can cross-linguistic generalizations, i.e. statistical universals of linguistic structure, be explained by the diachronic sources of these structures? Everyone agrees that typological distributions are the result of complex histories, as “languages evolve into the variation states to which synchronic universals pertain” (Hawkins 1988). However, an increasingly popular line of argumentation holds that many, perhaps most, typological regularities are long-term reflections of their diachronic sources, rather than being ‘target-driven’ by overarching functional-adaptive motivations. On this view, recurrent pathways of reanalysis and grammaticalization can lead to uniform synchronic results, obviating the need to postulate global forces like ambiguity avoidance, processing efficiency or iconicity, especially if there is no evidence for such motivations in the genesis of the respective constructions. On the other hand, the recent typological literature is equally ripe with talk of "complex adaptive systems", "attractor states" and "cross-linguistic convergence". One may wonder, therefore, how much room is left for traditional functional-adaptive forces and how exactly they influence the diachronic trajectories that shape universal distributions. The papers in the present volume are intended to provide an accessible introduction to this debate. Covering theoretical, methodological and empirical facets of the issue at hand, they represent current ways of thinking about the role of diachronic sources in explaining grammatical universals, articulated by seasoned and budding linguists alike.

A grammar of Japhug

Author : Guillaume Jacques
Publisher : Language Science Press
Page : 1596 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2021
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9783961103058

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A grammar of Japhug by Guillaume Jacques Pdf

Japhug is a vulnerable Gyalrongic language, which belongs to the Trans-Himalayan (Sino-Tibetan) family. It is spoken by several thousand speakers in Mbarkham county, Rngaba district, Sichuan province, China. This grammar is the result of nearly 20 years of fieldwork on one variety of Japhug, based on a corpus of narratives and conversations, a large part of which is available from the Pangloss Collection. It covers the whole grammar of the language, and the text examples provide a unique insight into Gyalrong culture. It was written with a general linguistics audience in mind, and should prove useful not only to specialists of Trans-Himalayan historical linguistics and typologists, but also to anthropologists doing research in Gyalrong areas. It is also hoped that some readers will use it to learn Japhug and pursue research on this fascinating language in the future.

Alignment and Alignment Change in the Indo-European Family

Author : Eystein Dahl
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 401 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2022-08-01
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9780192599773

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Alignment and Alignment Change in the Indo-European Family by Eystein Dahl Pdf

This volume brings together work from leading specialists in Indo-European languages to explore the macro- and micro-dynamic factors that contribute to variation and change in alignment and argument realization. Alignment is taken to include both basic alignment patterns associated with major construction types, as well as various valency-decreasing constructions such as passives, anticausatives, and impersonals. The chapters explore synchronic and diachronic aspects of alignment morphosyntax based on data from Anatolian, Indo-Iranian, Greek, Italic, Armenian, and Slavic. All have a strong empirical focus, drawing on both qualitative and quantitative methods, and range from broad comparative studies to detailed investigations of specific constructions in individual languages. The book is one of very few studies to examine variation and change in alignment typology across languages in a single family. It contributes to a greater understanding of the roles played by analogy/extension, reanalysis, and areal factors in alignment change, and demonstrates the extent of variation found in the morphosyntax of argument realization in genetically-related languages.

The Algonquian Inverse

Author : Will Oxford
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 359 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2023-11-28
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9780192699879

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The Algonquian Inverse by Will Oxford Pdf

This book serves as a definitive reference for the inverse morphology of the Algonquian languages, which has attracted much attention in typological and theoretical linguistics. Will Oxford describes the patterning of inverse morphology across the Algonquian family and presents a framework for understanding the structure and function of the Algonquian inverse that is empirically driven and typologically grounded. He presents data from all documented Algonquian languages and considers not only the morphology of the inverse construction but also its syntax and pragmatics, giving equal weight to diachronic, typological, functional, and formal perspectives. From the integration of these perspectives, a simple and coherent understanding of the nature of the inverse emerges. The key proposal is that the inverse is "deep" in some contexts and "shallow" in others. In interactions between two third persons, the inverse is a "deep" patient voice construction that inverts the canonical morphology, syntax, and pragmatics of a transitive clause. In interactions between a third person and a first or second person, the inverse is a "shallow" hierarchical agreement pattern implemented through a spurious use of patient voice morphology, inverting the canonical morphology of a transitive clause but having no effect on syntax or pragmatics. This split analysis, which reflects the likely diachronic development of the Algonquian inverse, is argued to have various benefits, including the resolution of a longstanding controversy over the syntactic status of the inverse.

The Languages and Linguistics of Indigenous North America

Author : Carmen Dagostino,Marianne Mithun,Keren Rice
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Page : 922 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2023-12-18
Category : Foreign Language Study
ISBN : 9783110712810

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The Languages and Linguistics of Indigenous North America by Carmen Dagostino,Marianne Mithun,Keren Rice Pdf

This handbook provides broad coverage of the languages indigenous to North America, with special focus on typologically interesting features and areal characteristics, surveys of current work, and topics of particular importance to communities. The volume is divided into two major parts: subfields of linguistics and family sketches. The subfields include those that are customarily addressed in discussions of North American languages (sounds and sound structure, words, sentences), as well as many that have received somewhat less attention until recently (tone, prosody, sociolinguistic variation, directives, information structure, discourse, meaning, language over space and time, conversation structure, evidentiality, pragmatics, verbal art, first and second language acquisition, archives, evolving notions of fieldwork). Family sketches cover major language families and isolates and highlight topics of special value to communities engaged in work on language maintenance, documentation, and revitalization.