Minority Languages, Microvariation, Minimalism and Meaning

Minority Languages, Microvariation, Minimalism and Meaning PDF Author: Alison Henry
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443853305
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 307

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Book Description
This volume presents a selection of papers from the first international conference of the Irish Network in Formal Linguistics (INFL). INFL is well placed to attract expertise on both microvariation and the linguistics of the Celtic languages, and the volume reflects this expertise. Microvariation approaches the analysis of dialect variation with a focus on how it contributes to the understanding of linguistic theory. The synchronic and diachronic variation examined in this volume includes Irish English, dialects of Italian and dialects of Flemish. Under the linguistic study of Celtic languages, the papers included address important architectural questions in linguistic theory, as well as challenging some notions with a long history in traditional descriptions of the Celtic languages. The final section brings together papers on topics of current theoretical interest in the formal analysis of syntax, semantics and discourse, including phase theoretic approaches to a range of phenomena involving syntactic conditions on semantic interpretation. The final two papers adopt a formal perspective not to aspects of linguistic structure, but to language use in contexts demonstrating the import of formal micro-level sequential analysis of talk-in-interaction for macro-level questions of communication and social organisation.

Minority Languages, Microvariation, Minimalism and Meaning

Minority Languages, Microvariation, Minimalism and Meaning PDF Author: Alison Henry
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443853305
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 307

Get Book

Book Description
This volume presents a selection of papers from the first international conference of the Irish Network in Formal Linguistics (INFL). INFL is well placed to attract expertise on both microvariation and the linguistics of the Celtic languages, and the volume reflects this expertise. Microvariation approaches the analysis of dialect variation with a focus on how it contributes to the understanding of linguistic theory. The synchronic and diachronic variation examined in this volume includes Irish English, dialects of Italian and dialects of Flemish. Under the linguistic study of Celtic languages, the papers included address important architectural questions in linguistic theory, as well as challenging some notions with a long history in traditional descriptions of the Celtic languages. The final section brings together papers on topics of current theoretical interest in the formal analysis of syntax, semantics and discourse, including phase theoretic approaches to a range of phenomena involving syntactic conditions on semantic interpretation. The final two papers adopt a formal perspective not to aspects of linguistic structure, but to language use in contexts demonstrating the import of formal micro-level sequential analysis of talk-in-interaction for macro-level questions of communication and social organisation.

Minority Languages, Microvariation, Minimalism and Meaning

Minority Languages, Microvariation, Minimalism and Meaning PDF Author: Catrin S. Rhys
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


The Syntax of Relative Clauses

The Syntax of Relative Clauses PDF Author: Guglielmo Cinque
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 110884605X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 415

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Book Description
Relative clauses play a hugely important role in analysing the structure of sentences. This book provides the first evidence that a unified analysis of the different types of relative clauses is possible - a step forward in our understanding. Using careful analyses of a wide range of languages, Cinque argues that the relative clause types can all be derived from a single, double-headed, structure. He also presents evidence that restrictive, maximalizing, ('integrated') non-restrictive, kind-defining, infinitival and participial RCs merge at different heights of the nominal extended projection. This book provides an elegant generalization about the structure of all relatives. Theoretically profound and empirically rich, it promises to radically alter the way we think about this subject for years to come.

To be or not to be? The Verbum Substantivum from Synchronic, Diachronic and Typological Perspectives

To be or not to be? The Verbum Substantivum from Synchronic, Diachronic and Typological Perspectives PDF Author: Michail L. Kotin
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 144388491X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 380

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Book Description
The verbs of the 'to be'-group, also called verba substantiva, belong to the most enigmatic phenomena of the human language. Combining a distinct suppletivity of their conjugational forms in most languages with a striking semantic and functional ambiguity, as well as unique syntactic capabilities, they form a very specific class of linguistic entities. They can be referred to, without exaggeration, as one of the conceptually gravest and most "symptomatic" language formations. Typologically, the be-verbs demonstrate, on the one hand, a set of similar features in almost every language, which is excellent evidence of their universal validity. On the other hand, the differences between these verbs in various language groups and even in particular languages are remarkable proof of language relativism. Historically, the be-verbs show a sequence of relevant stages in their formal, semantic and syntactic developments, which in many aspects coincide with their typological and individual, "idioethnic" features and properties. One can trace, among other things, paths and mechanisms of their development and salient changes of their functions in language systems of different types. Especially important are also changes in the form and function of the be-verbs arising from language contact, for they indicate essential tendencies in the evolution of these entities accelerated by the influence of language interaction triggers. The contribution of to be-verbs to the morphology, semantics and syntax of the majority of the languages of the world is substantial from a number of perspectives, and these verbs belong to the most complex and simultaneously central entities of human language. For this reason their analysis must continually be synchronized with the newest results of general linguistic research. This volume, hence, describes and interprets the to be-verbs and constructions in the broad context of contemporary linguistic research, including synchrony, diachrony, diatopy, language contrast and typology.

The Oxford Handbook of Irish English

The Oxford Handbook of Irish English PDF Author: Raymond Hickey
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198856156
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 737

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Book Description
This volume offers a comprehensive overview of the range of varieties of English spoken on the island of Ireland, featuring information on their historical background, structural features, and sociolinguistic considerations. The first part of the volume explores English and Irish in their historical framework as well as current issues of contact and bilingualism. Chapters in Part II and Part III investigate the structures and use of Irish English today, from pronunciation and grammar to discourse-pragmatic markers and politeness strategies, alongside studies of specific varieties such as Urban English in Northern Ireland and the Irish English spoken in Dublin, Galway, and Cork. Part IV focuses on the Irish diaspora, with chapters covering topics including Newfoundland Irish English and Irish influence on Australian English, while the final part looks at the wider context, such as the language of Irish Travellers and Irish Sign Language. The handbook also features a detailed glossary of key terms, and will be of interest to a wide range of readers interested in varieties of English, Irish studies, sociolinguistics, and social and cultural history.

From Sounds to Structures

From Sounds to Structures PDF Author: Roberto Petrosino
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 1501506633
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 548

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Book Description
The term ‘Maya’, in Indian traditions, refers to our sensory perception of the world and, as such, to a superficial reality (or ‘un–reality’) that we must look beyond to find the inner reality of things. Applied to the study of language, we perceive sounds, a superficial reality, and then we seek structures, the underlying reality in what we call phonology, morphology, and syntax. This volume starts with an introduction by the editors, which shows how the various papers contained in the volume reflect the spectrum of research interests of Andrea Calabrese, as well as his influence on the work of colleagues and his students. Contributors, united in their search for the abstract structures that underlie the appearances of languages include linguists such as Adriana Belletti, Paola Benincà, Jonathan Bobaljik, Gugliemo Cinque, David Embick, Mirko Grimaldi, Harry van der Hulst, Michael Kenstowicz, Maria Rita Manzini, Andrew Nevins, Elizabeth Pyatt, Luigi Rizzi, Leonardo Savoia, Laura Vanelli, Bert Vaux, Susi Wurmbrand, as well as a few junior researchers including Mariachiara Berizzi, Giuliano Bocci, Stefano Canalis, Silvio Cruschina, Irina Monich, Beata Moskal, Diego Pescarini, Joseph Perry, Roberto Petrosino, and Kobey Schwayder.

Rethinking Parameters

Rethinking Parameters PDF Author: Luis Eguren
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190461748
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 403

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Book Description
This collection of articles provides an overview of current generative theorizing and empirical work on the nature, origin and scope of parameters of linguistic variation. Often taking diverging views, the papers in the volume address some or all of the main debated topics in parametric syntax.

Philosophy of Language and Linguistics

Philosophy of Language and Linguistics PDF Author: Piotr Stalmaszczyk
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110342758
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
The present volume investigates the legacy of Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein in contemporary philosophy of language and linguistics. These philosophers inspired both the development of analytic philosophy and various philosophical approaches to the study of language. They have influenced technical discussions on truth, proper names, definite descriptions, propositions and predication, sense and reference, truth, and philosophical and linguistic inquiries into the relations between language, mind and the world. The studies gathered in this volume discuss most of these issues and aim to show that the results of this research are still of utmost importance, and that the three philosophers have significantly contributed to the linguistic turn in philosophy and the philosophical turn in the study of language. The volume includes contributions by: Joachim Adler (Zurich), Maria Cerezo (Murcia), Pawel Grabarczyk (Lodz), Arkadiusz Gutt (Lublin), Tom Hughes (Durham), Gabriele Mras (Vienna), Carl Humphries (Cracow), Gary Kemp (Glasgow), Siu-Fan Lee (Hong Kong), Jaroslav Peregrin (Prague), Ulrich Reichard (Durham), Piotr Stalmaszczyk (Lodz), Piotr Szalek (Lublin), Mieszko Talasiewicz (Warsaw).

Parameter Hierarchies and Universal Grammar

Parameter Hierarchies and Universal Grammar PDF Author: Ian Roberts
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0198804636
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 730

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Book Description
This book develops a minimalist approach to cross-linguistic morphosyntactic variation. Ian Roberts argues that the essential insight of the principles-and-parameters approach to variation can be maintained - albeit in a somewhat different guise - in the context of the minimalist program for linguistic theory. The central idea is to organize the parameters of Universal Grammar (UG) into hierarchies that define the ways in which properties of individually variant categories and features may act in concert. A further leading idea, which is consistent with the overall goal of the minimalist programme to reduce the content of UG, is that the parameter hierarchies are not directly determined by UG, and are instead emergent properties stemming from the interaction of the three factors in language design. Cross-linguistic variation in word order, null subjects, incorporation, verb-movement, case/alignment, wh-movement, and negation are all analyzed in the light of this approach. This book represents a significant new contribution to the formal study of cross-linguistic morphosyntactic variation on both the empirical and theoretical levels, and will appeal to researchers and students in all areas of theoretical linguistics and comparative syntax.

External Possession

External Possession PDF Author: Doris L. Payne
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 9027298602
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 587

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Book Description
External Possession Constructions (EPCs) are found in nearly all parts of the world and across widely divergent language families. The data-rich papers in this first-ever volume on EPCs document their typological variability, explore diachronic reasons for variations, and investigate their functions and theoretical ramifications. EPCs code the possessor as a core grammatical relation of the verb and in a constituent separate from that which contains the possessed item. Though EPCs express possession, they do so without the necessary involvement of a possessive predicate such as “have” or “own”. In many cases, EPCs appear to “break the rules” about how many arguments a verb of a given valence can have. They thus constitute an important limiting case for evaluating theories of the relationship between verbal argument structure and syntactic clause structure. They also raise core questions about intersections among verbal valence, cognitive event construal, voice, and language processing.