Language Universals and Linguistic Typology: Syntax and Morphology

by Comrie, Bernard

• ISBN13: 9780226114330
• ISBN10: 0226114333
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1989-07-15
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

Since its first publication,Language Universals and Linguistic Typologyhas become established as the leading introductory account of one of the most productive areas of linguisticsthe analysis, comparison, and classification of the common features and forms of the organization of languages. Adopting an approach to the subject pioneered by Greenberg and others, Bernard Comrie is particularly concerned with syntactico-semantic universals, devoting chapters to word order, case making, relative clauses, and causative constructions. His book is informed throughout by the conviction that an exemplary account of universal properties of human language cannot restrict itself to purely formal aspects, nor focus on analysis of a single language. Rather, it must also consider language use, relate formal properties to testable claims about cognition and cognitive development, and treat data from a wide range of languages. This second edition has been revised and updated to take full account of new research in universals and typology in the past decade, and more generally to consider how the approach advocated here relates to recent advances in generative grammatical theory.

Author Biography

Bernard Comrie is chair of the department of linguistics at the University of Southern California. He is the author of many publications including Aspect and Tense, and is editor of Studies in Language.

Table of Contents

Preface to the second edition

Preface to the first edition

Preface to the second printing

Language Universals

Approaches to Language Universals

Two major approaches

The data base

Degrees of abstractness

Classification of Language Universals

Formal and substantive universals

Implicational and non-implicational universals

Absolute universals and tendencies

Explanations for Language Universals

Common genetic origin

External explanations

Summary Notes and references

Language Typology

Typology and Universals

Typological Parameters

Morphological Typology

Some Further Typological Parameters Notes and references

Theoretical Prerequisites

Semantic Roles

Pragmatic Roles

Grammatical Relations

Morphological Cases

Illustration: English and Russian Clause Structure Notes and references

Word Order

Word Order Parameters

Correlations Among Word Order Parameters

Greenberg's correlations

Generalizations of Greenberg's results

Critique of the generalizations

The Value of Word Order Typology Notes and references

Subject

The Problem

On Definitions and Categories

Ergativity

Semantic and Pragmatic Factors Notes and references

Case Marking

The Discriminatory Function of Cases

Natural Information Flow in the Transitive Construction

Inverse forms

Differential marking of A and P

Summary Notes and References

Relative Clauses

Some Typological Characteristics of English Relative Clauses

Types of Relative Clause

Defining the notion relative clause

Word order and relative clause types

The role of the head in the relative clause

The role of the head in the main clause

Accessibility to Relative Clause Formation

Simplex sentences

Complex constructions

The distribution of relative clause types Notes and references

Causative Constructions

Parameters in the Study of Causative Constructions

Formal parameters

Semantic parameters

Valency Changes in Morphological Causatives Notes and references

Animacy

Introduction: The Nature of Animacy

Phenomena Controlled by Animacy

Conceptual Animacy Distinctions

Conclusions: The Nature of Animacy Notes and references

Typological and Historical Linguistics

Diachronic Dimensions in Universals and Typology

Areal Typology

Typology and Reconstruction

Word order typology

Word order and morpheme order

Typology and Diachronic Explanation Notes and references

Conclusions and Prospects Map showing location of languages cited References

Index of languages

Index of proper names

Index of topics

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