Linguistic Universals And Language Change
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Linguistic Universals And Language Change
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Author : Jeff Good
language : en
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Release Date : 2008-01-25
Linguistic Universals And Language Change written by Jeff Good and has been published by OUP Oxford this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2008-01-25 with Language Arts & Disciplines categories.
This book looks at the relationship between linguistic universals and language change. Reflecting the resurgence of work in both fields over the last two decades, it addresses two related issues of central importance in linguistics: the balance between synchronic and diachronic factors in accounting for universals of linguistic structure, and the means of distinguishing genuine aspects of a universal human cognitive capacity for language from regularities that may be traced to extraneous origins. The volume brings together specially commissioned work by leading scholars, including prominent representatives of generative and functional linguistics. It examines rival explanations for linguistic universals and assesses the effectiveness of competing models of language change. The authors investigate patterns and processes of grammatical and lexical change across a wide range of languages; they consider the degree to which common characteristics condition processes of change in related languages; and examine how far differences in linguistic outcomes may be explained by cultural or external factors. This book will interest the wide range of scholars in linguistics and related fields concerned with language change, historical linguistics, linguistic typology and universals, and the nature of the human language faculty
Language Change Variation And Universals
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Author : Peter W. Culicover
language : en
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Release Date : 2021-08-26
Language Change Variation And Universals written by Peter W. Culicover and has been published by Oxford University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2021-08-26 with Language Arts & Disciplines categories.
This volume explores how human languages become what they are, why they differ from one another in certain ways but not in others, and why they change in the ways that they do. Given that language is a universal creation of the human mind, the puzzle is why there are different languages at all: why do we not all speak the same language? Moreover, while there is considerable variation, in some ways grammars do show consistent patterns: why are languages similar in those respects, and why are those particular patterns preferred? Peter Culicover proposes that the solution to these puzzles is a constructional one. Grammars consist of constructions that carry out the function of expressing universal conceptual structure. While there are in principle many different ways of accomplishing this task, languages are under press to reduce constructional complexity. The result is that there is constructional change in the direction of less complexity, and grammatical patterns emerge that more efficiently reflect conceptual universals. The volume is divided into three parts: the first establishes the theoretical foundations; the second explores variation in argument structure, grammatical functions, and A-bar constructions, drawing on data from a variety of languages including English and Plains Cree; and the third examines constructional change, focusing primarily on Germanic. The study ends with observations and speculations on parameter theory, analogy, the origins of typological patterns, and Greenbergian 'universals'.
Typology And Universals
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Author : William Croft
language : en
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Release Date : 2003
Typology And Universals written by William Croft and has been published by Cambridge University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2003 with Language Arts & Disciplines categories.
A thorough rewriting to reflect advances in typology and universals in the past decade.
Function Selection And Innateness
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Author : Simon Kirby
language : en
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Release Date : 1999-04-22
Function Selection And Innateness written by Simon Kirby and has been published by OUP Oxford this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 1999-04-22 with Language Arts & Disciplines categories.
This book explores issues at the core of modern linguistics and cognitive science. Why are all languages similar in some ways and in others utterly different? Why do languages change and change variably? How did the human capacity for language evolve, and how far did it do so as an innate ability? Simon Kirby looks at these questions from a broad perspective, arguing that they can (indeed must) be studied together. The author begins by examining how far the universal properties of language may be explained by examining the way it is used, and how far by the way it is structured. He then considers what insights may be gained by combining functional and formal approaches. In doing so he develops a way of treating language as an adaptive system, in which its communicative and formal roles are both crucial and complementary. In order to test the effectiveness of competing theories and explanations, Simon Kirby develops computational models to show what universals emerge given a particular theory of language use or acquisition. He presents here both the methodology and the results. Function, Selection, and Innateness is important for its argument, its methodology, and its conclusions. It is a powerful demonstration of the value of looking at language as an adaptive system and goes to the heart of current debates on the evolution and nature of language.
Vernacular Universals And Language Contacts
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Author : Markku Filppula
language : en
Publisher: Routledge
Release Date : 2009-01-13
Vernacular Universals And Language Contacts written by Markku Filppula and has been published by Routledge this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2009-01-13 with Language Arts & Disciplines categories.
In this book, contributors have been brought together to discuss the role of two major factors shaping the grammars of different varieties of English (and of other languages) all over the world: so-called vernacular universals and contact-induced change. Rather than assuming a general typological perspective, the studies in this volume focus on putative universal vernacular features – significant phonological or (morpho-) syntactic parallels found in non-standard varieties of English, English-based Creoles, and also varieties of other languages, all of which represent widely differing sociolinguistic and historical backgrounds. These universals are then set against the other major explanatory factor: contact-induced change, by which we understand both the possibility of dialect contact (or dialect diffusion) and language contact (including superstratal, substratal and adstratal influences).
Linguistic Universals And Language Variation
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Author : Peter Siemund
language : en
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Release Date : 2011-06-30
Linguistic Universals And Language Variation written by Peter Siemund and has been published by Walter de Gruyter this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2011-06-30 with Language Arts & Disciplines categories.
The volume explores the relationship between linguistic universals and language variation. Its contributions identify the recurrent patterns and principles behind the complex spectrum of observable variation. The volume bridges the gap between cross-linguistic variation, regional variation, diachronic variation, contact-induced variation as well as socially conditioned variation. Moreover, it addresses fundamental methodological and theoretical issues of variation research. The volume brings together internationally renowned specialists of their fields while, at the same time, offering a platform for gifted and highly talented young researchers. The authors come from different theoretical backgrounds and through their work illustrate a rich array of scientific methods. All authors share a strong belief in empirically founded theoretical work. The contributions span a high number of languages and dialects from many parts of the world. They are extremely broad in their empirical coverage addressing an impressive selection of grammatical domains.
Universals Of Language Today
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Author : Sergio Scalise
language : en
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Release Date : 2008-10-11
Universals Of Language Today written by Sergio Scalise and has been published by Springer Science & Business Media this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2008-10-11 with Language Arts & Disciplines categories.
This book collects the contributions presented at the international congress held at the University of Bologna in January 2007, where leading scholars of different persuasions and interests offered an up-to-date overview of the current status of the research on linguistic universals. The papers that make up the volume deal with both theoretical and empirical issues, and range over various domains, covering not only morphology and syntax, which were the major focus of Greenberg’s seminal work, but also phonology and semantics, as well as diachrony and second language acquisition. Diverse perspectives illustrate and discuss a huge number of phenomena from a wide variety of languages, not only exploring the way research on universals - tersects with different subareas of linguistics, but also contributing to the ongoing debate between functional and formal approaches to explaining the universals of language. This stimulating reading for scientists, researchers and postgraduate students in linguistics shows how different, but not irreconcilable, modes of explanation can complement each other, both offering fresh insights into the investigation of unity and diversity in languages, and pointing to exciting areas for future research. • A fresh and up-to-date survey of the present state of research on Universals of Language in an international context, with original contributions from leading specialists in the eld. • First-hand accounts of substantive ndings and theoretical observations in diff- ent subareas of linguistics. • Huge number of linguistic phenomena and data from diffferent languages a- lyzed and discussed in detail.
Universals In Linguistic Theory
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Author : Emmon W. Bach
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 1968
Universals In Linguistic Theory written by Emmon W. Bach and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 1968 with Language Arts & Disciplines categories.
Record of papers given at a symposium held at the University of Texas at Austin, April 1967; includes; C.J. Fillmore - The case for case; E. Bach - Nouns and noun phrases; J.D. McCawley - The role of semantics in a grammar; P. Kiparsky Linguistic universals and linguistic change.
Language Change And Language Contact In Pidgins And Creoles
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Author : John H. McWhorter
language : en
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Release Date : 2000
Language Change And Language Contact In Pidgins And Creoles written by John H. McWhorter and has been published by John Benjamins Publishing this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2000 with Language Arts & Disciplines categories.
This book collects a selection of fifteen papers presented at three meetings of the Society for Pidgin and Creole Linguistics in 1996 and 1997. The focus is on papers which approach issues in creole studies with novel perspectives, address understudied pidgin and creole varieties, or compellingly argue for controversial positions. The papers demonstrate how pidgins and creoles shed light on issues such as verb movement, contact-induced language change and its gradations, discourse management via tense-aspect particles, language genesis, substratal transfer, and Universal Grammar, and cover a wide range of contact languages, ranging from English- and French-based creoles through Portuguese creoles of Africa and Asia, Sango, Popular Brazilian Portuguese, West African Pidgin Englishes, and Hawaiian Creole English.
Word Order Universals
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Author : John A Hawkins
language : en
Publisher: Academic Press
Release Date : 1983-12-28
Word Order Universals written by John A Hawkins and has been published by Academic Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 1983-12-28 with Business & Economics categories.
Word Order Universals is a detailed account of word order universals and their role in theories of historical change. The starting point is the Greenberg data set, which is comprised of a sample of 142 languages for certain limited co-occurrences of basic word orders, and a 30-language sample for more detailed information. In the Language Index, the 142 have been expanded to some 350 languages. Using the original Greenberg samples and the Expanded Sample, an alternative set of descriptive word order statements is provided. Comprised of eight chapters, this book begins with an introduction to the theory of word order universals, encompassing topics such as word order variation across languages and theories of universal grammar. The reader is then introduced to the work of Joseph Greenberg and Theo Vennemann on word order universals; implicational universals in Greenberg's data and the Expanded Sample; and the predictions made by implicational and distributional universals for word order change. Reformulated universals for historical reconstruction are also discussed, along with some laws of reconstruction derived from synchronic universals. The final chapter is devoted to the Expanded Sample, with particular reference to its quantities as well as its typological and genetic classification. This monograph will be a useful resource for specialists in grammar and linguistics.