Historical Syntax in Cross-Linguistic Perspective

by Harris, Alice C.; Campbell, Lyle

• ISBN13: 9780521478816
• ISBN10: 0521478812
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-04-01
• Publisher: Cambridge Univ Pr

Summary

In this major new work Alice Harris and Lyle Campbell set out to establish a general framework for the investigation of linguistic change. Systematic cross-linguistic comparison of syntactic change across a wide variety of languages is used to construct hypotheses about the universals and limits of language change more generally. In particular, the authors seek to move closer towards describing the range of causes of syntactic change to develop an understanding of the mechanisms of syntactic change, and to provide an understanding of why some languages undergo certain changes and not others. The authors draw on languages as diverse as Pipil and French, Georgian and Estonian, and the data presented is one of the book's great strengths. Rigor and precision are combined here with a great breadth of scholarship to produce a unique resource for the study of linguistic change, which will be of use to scholars and students alike.

Table of Contents

Preface

1. Introduction

2. The history of historical syntax: major themes

3. Overview of a theory of syntactic change

4. Reanalysis

5. Extension

6. Language contact and syntactic borrowing

7. Processes that simplify bi-clausal structures

8. Word order

9. Alignment

10. On the development of complex constructions

11. The nature of syntactic change and the issue of causation

12. Reconstruction of syntax

Appendix

Bibliography.