Diachronic and Typological Perspectives on Verbs

Diachronic and Typological Perspectives on Verbs

Author: Folke Josephson

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2013-07-10

Total Pages: 453

ISBN-13: 902727181X

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This volume applies a diachronic perspective to the verb and mainly deals with typological change affecting tense, aspect, mood and modality in a variety of Indo-European languages (Latin, Romance, Celtic, Germanic, Slavic, Indo-Iranian, Hittite, and Semitic) and the non-Indo-European Turkic, Amerindian and some Australian languages. The analyses of the structural changes and the interchange between the different grammatical categories that cause them which are presented in the chapters of this volume yield astonishing results. The diachronic perspective combined with a comparative approach provides profound knowledge of the typology of the verb and other typological issues and will serve researchers, as well as advanced and beginning of linguistics students in a way that has rarely been encountered before.


Book Synopsis Diachronic and Typological Perspectives on Verbs by : Folke Josephson

Download or read book Diachronic and Typological Perspectives on Verbs written by Folke Josephson and published by John Benjamins Publishing. This book was released on 2013-07-10 with total page 453 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume applies a diachronic perspective to the verb and mainly deals with typological change affecting tense, aspect, mood and modality in a variety of Indo-European languages (Latin, Romance, Celtic, Germanic, Slavic, Indo-Iranian, Hittite, and Semitic) and the non-Indo-European Turkic, Amerindian and some Australian languages. The analyses of the structural changes and the interchange between the different grammatical categories that cause them which are presented in the chapters of this volume yield astonishing results. The diachronic perspective combined with a comparative approach provides profound knowledge of the typology of the verb and other typological issues and will serve researchers, as well as advanced and beginning of linguistics students in a way that has rarely been encountered before.


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

Author: Michail L. Kotin

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2015-10-13

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13: 144388491X

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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.


Book Synopsis To be or not to be? The Verbum Substantivum from Synchronic, Diachronic and Typological Perspectives by : Michail L. Kotin

Download or read book To be or not to be? The Verbum Substantivum from Synchronic, Diachronic and Typological Perspectives written by Michail L. Kotin and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2015-10-13 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.


Verbs, Clauses and Constructions

Verbs, Clauses and Constructions

Author: Raquel Vea Escaza

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2018-11-22

Total Pages: 463

ISBN-13: 1527522156

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This volume brings together a collection of twenty contributions which offer a diversity of methodological tools and analytical issues concerning the study of different aspects of the role of verbs, clauses and constructions in a rich variety of languages such as Present-Day English, Old English, Old Saxon, French, Spanish, Arabic, German, Upper Sorbian, Latvian, Sino-Tibetan, and the Australian dialects Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra. The use of empirical data and the wide range of languages are the two main challenges addressed here. The book will serve to contribute to current literature on functional-oriented linguistics, incorporating linguistic typology, and corpus-based and contrastive perspectives. The volume is divided into three main parts. The first brings together eight contributions centrally related to the category of the verb both from a synchronic and diachronic perspective. The second part consists of five chapters which revolve around the syntax and semantics of clauses. Finally, the seven essays in the third section explore different formal and functional aspects of the study of constructions in an assortment of languages.


Book Synopsis Verbs, Clauses and Constructions by : Raquel Vea Escaza

Download or read book Verbs, Clauses and Constructions written by Raquel Vea Escaza and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2018-11-22 with total page 463 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume brings together a collection of twenty contributions which offer a diversity of methodological tools and analytical issues concerning the study of different aspects of the role of verbs, clauses and constructions in a rich variety of languages such as Present-Day English, Old English, Old Saxon, French, Spanish, Arabic, German, Upper Sorbian, Latvian, Sino-Tibetan, and the Australian dialects Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra. The use of empirical data and the wide range of languages are the two main challenges addressed here. The book will serve to contribute to current literature on functional-oriented linguistics, incorporating linguistic typology, and corpus-based and contrastive perspectives. The volume is divided into three main parts. The first brings together eight contributions centrally related to the category of the verb both from a synchronic and diachronic perspective. The second part consists of five chapters which revolve around the syntax and semantics of clauses. Finally, the seven essays in the third section explore different formal and functional aspects of the study of constructions in an assortment of languages.


New Approaches to Slavic Verbs of Motion

New Approaches to Slavic Verbs of Motion

Author: Viktoria Hasko

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 407

ISBN-13: 9027205825

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This volume unifies a wide breadth of interdisciplinary studies examining the expression of motion in Slavic languages. The contributors to the volume have joined in the discussion of Slavic motion talk from diachronic, typological, comparative, cognitive, and acquisitional perspectives with a particular focus on verbs of motion, the nuclei of the lexicalization patterns for encoding motion. Motion verbs are notorious among Slavic linguists for their baffling idiosyncratic behavior in their lexical, semantic, syntactical, and aspectual characteristics. The collaborative effort of this volume is aimed both at highlighting and accounting for the unique properties of Slavic verbs of motion and at situating Slavic languages within the larger framework of typological research investigating cross-linguistic encoding of the motion domain. Due to the multiplicity of approaches to the linguistic analysis the collection offers, it will suitably complement courses and programs of study focusing on Slavic linguistics as well as typology, diachronic and comparative linguistics, semantics, and second language acquisition. "This important book is a model of in-depth exploration that is much needed: intra-typological, diachronic, and synchronic exploration of contrasting ways of encoding a particular semantic domain û in this case the domain of motion events. The various Slavic languages present contrasting but related solutions to the intersection of motion and aspect. And, as a group, they offer alternate forms of satellite-framed typology, in contrast to the more heavily studied Germanic languages of this general type. The up-to-date and interdisciplinary nature of the volume makes it essential reading in cognitive and typological linguistics."-Dan I. Slobin, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Linguistics, University of California, Berkeley "A feast for the mind, with untold riches and variety: different approaches, patterns and usage, diachronic as well as synchronic, Slavic and not just Russian. All on a high intellectual level from capable scholars. Ful besy were the editors in every thing, That to the feste was appertinent."-Alan Timberlake, Columbia University


Book Synopsis New Approaches to Slavic Verbs of Motion by : Viktoria Hasko

Download or read book New Approaches to Slavic Verbs of Motion written by Viktoria Hasko and published by John Benjamins Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 407 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume unifies a wide breadth of interdisciplinary studies examining the expression of motion in Slavic languages. The contributors to the volume have joined in the discussion of Slavic motion talk from diachronic, typological, comparative, cognitive, and acquisitional perspectives with a particular focus on verbs of motion, the nuclei of the lexicalization patterns for encoding motion. Motion verbs are notorious among Slavic linguists for their baffling idiosyncratic behavior in their lexical, semantic, syntactical, and aspectual characteristics. The collaborative effort of this volume is aimed both at highlighting and accounting for the unique properties of Slavic verbs of motion and at situating Slavic languages within the larger framework of typological research investigating cross-linguistic encoding of the motion domain. Due to the multiplicity of approaches to the linguistic analysis the collection offers, it will suitably complement courses and programs of study focusing on Slavic linguistics as well as typology, diachronic and comparative linguistics, semantics, and second language acquisition. "This important book is a model of in-depth exploration that is much needed: intra-typological, diachronic, and synchronic exploration of contrasting ways of encoding a particular semantic domain û in this case the domain of motion events. The various Slavic languages present contrasting but related solutions to the intersection of motion and aspect. And, as a group, they offer alternate forms of satellite-framed typology, in contrast to the more heavily studied Germanic languages of this general type. The up-to-date and interdisciplinary nature of the volume makes it essential reading in cognitive and typological linguistics."-Dan I. Slobin, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Linguistics, University of California, Berkeley "A feast for the mind, with untold riches and variety: different approaches, patterns and usage, diachronic as well as synchronic, Slavic and not just Russian. All on a high intellectual level from capable scholars. Ful besy were the editors in every thing, That to the feste was appertinent."-Alan Timberlake, Columbia University


Verbs and Diachronic Syntax

Verbs and Diachronic Syntax

Author: I.G. Roberts

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 390

ISBN-13: 079231705X

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This book analyses the development of a number of English and French constructions involving various kinds of subject-verb inversion. The analysis is framed in terms of the principles-and-parameters approach to syntactic theory, and provides strong support for the adoption of this approach in the description and explanation of language change. The book falls into three parts. The first presents an overall framework for the analysis of inversion constructions and motivates, on the basis of synchronic data, several parameters which distinguish among the various Romance and Germanic languages. The second part shows how several near-simultaneous syntactic changes in the history of French can be explained as a change in one of the parameters introduced in Chapter One. A notable aspect of this analysis is the way in which the distribution of null subjects is shown to relate to verb-placement. The third part of the book treats verb-movement in the history of English, arguing in detail that the attested changes in this area are due to a change in the internal structure of `Infl', a proposal which has important ramifications for the theory of functional heads. Throughout the book, emphasis is placed on the theoretical questions raised by language change. In this connection the two notions of diachronic reanalysis and parametric change are distinguished. Verbs and Diachronic Syntax will interest all theoretical linguists as well as specialists in the history of English, history of French, Germanic philology and Romance philology.


Book Synopsis Verbs and Diachronic Syntax by : I.G. Roberts

Download or read book Verbs and Diachronic Syntax written by I.G. Roberts and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 1993 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book analyses the development of a number of English and French constructions involving various kinds of subject-verb inversion. The analysis is framed in terms of the principles-and-parameters approach to syntactic theory, and provides strong support for the adoption of this approach in the description and explanation of language change. The book falls into three parts. The first presents an overall framework for the analysis of inversion constructions and motivates, on the basis of synchronic data, several parameters which distinguish among the various Romance and Germanic languages. The second part shows how several near-simultaneous syntactic changes in the history of French can be explained as a change in one of the parameters introduced in Chapter One. A notable aspect of this analysis is the way in which the distribution of null subjects is shown to relate to verb-placement. The third part of the book treats verb-movement in the history of English, arguing in detail that the attested changes in this area are due to a change in the internal structure of `Infl', a proposal which has important ramifications for the theory of functional heads. Throughout the book, emphasis is placed on the theoretical questions raised by language change. In this connection the two notions of diachronic reanalysis and parametric change are distinguished. Verbs and Diachronic Syntax will interest all theoretical linguists as well as specialists in the history of English, history of French, Germanic philology and Romance philology.


Origins of the Greek Verb

Origins of the Greek Verb

Author: Andreas Willi

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2018-01-18

Total Pages: 747

ISBN-13: 1107195551

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This book traces the evolution of the Indo-European verbal system from the early proto-language to the period of the first Greek texts.


Book Synopsis Origins of the Greek Verb by : Andreas Willi

Download or read book Origins of the Greek Verb written by Andreas Willi and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-01-18 with total page 747 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book traces the evolution of the Indo-European verbal system from the early proto-language to the period of the first Greek texts.


The Romance Verb

The Romance Verb

Author: Martin Maiden

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018-03-02

Total Pages: 592

ISBN-13: 0191056391

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This book is the first comprehensive comparative-historical survey of patterns of alternation in the Romance verb which appear to be 'autonomously morphological': although they can be shown to be persistent through time, they have long ceased to be conditioned by any phonological or functional determinant. Some of these patterns are well known in Romance linguistics, while others have scarcely been noticed. The sheer range of phenomena which participate in these patterns in any case far surpasses what Romance linguists had previously realized. The patterns constitute a kind of abstract 'leitmotiv', running through the history of the Romance languages and conferring on them a distinctive morphological physiognomy. Although intended primarily as a novel contribution to comparative-historical Romance linguistics, the book considers in detail the status of these patterns which appear to be a matter of 'morphology by itself', unsupported by determining factors external to the morphological system. Particular attention is paid to the problem of their persistence, self-replication, and reinforcement over time. Why do abstract morphological patterns that quite literally 'do not make sense' display such diachronic robustness? The evidence suggests that speakers, faced with different ways of expressing semantically identical material, seek out distributional templates into which those differences can be deployed. In Romance the only available templates happen to be 'morphomic', morphologically accidental, effects of old sound changes or defunct functional conditionings. Those patterns are accordingly exploited, and indeed reinforced, by being made maximally predictable.


Book Synopsis The Romance Verb by : Martin Maiden

Download or read book The Romance Verb written by Martin Maiden and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-03-02 with total page 592 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the first comprehensive comparative-historical survey of patterns of alternation in the Romance verb which appear to be 'autonomously morphological': although they can be shown to be persistent through time, they have long ceased to be conditioned by any phonological or functional determinant. Some of these patterns are well known in Romance linguistics, while others have scarcely been noticed. The sheer range of phenomena which participate in these patterns in any case far surpasses what Romance linguists had previously realized. The patterns constitute a kind of abstract 'leitmotiv', running through the history of the Romance languages and conferring on them a distinctive morphological physiognomy. Although intended primarily as a novel contribution to comparative-historical Romance linguistics, the book considers in detail the status of these patterns which appear to be a matter of 'morphology by itself', unsupported by determining factors external to the morphological system. Particular attention is paid to the problem of their persistence, self-replication, and reinforcement over time. Why do abstract morphological patterns that quite literally 'do not make sense' display such diachronic robustness? The evidence suggests that speakers, faced with different ways of expressing semantically identical material, seek out distributional templates into which those differences can be deployed. In Romance the only available templates happen to be 'morphomic', morphologically accidental, effects of old sound changes or defunct functional conditionings. Those patterns are accordingly exploited, and indeed reinforced, by being made maximally predictable.


Variation and Change in Gallo-Romance Grammar

Variation and Change in Gallo-Romance Grammar

Author: Sam Wolfe

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2020-05-07

Total Pages: 480

ISBN-13: 0192576534

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This volume offers a wide-range of case studies on variation and change in the sub-family of the Romance languages that includes French and Occitan: Gallo-Romance. Both standard and non-standard Gallo-Romance data can be of enormous value to studies of morphosyntactic variation and change, yet, as the volume demonstrates, non-standard and comparative Gallo-Romance data have often been lacking in both synchronic and diachronic studies. Following an introduction that sets out the conceptual background, the volume is divided into three parts whose chapters explore a variety of topics in the domains of sentence structure, the verb complex, and word structure. The empirical foundation of the volume is exceptionally rich, drawing on standard and non-standard data from French, Occitan, Francoprovençal, Picard, Wallon, and Norman. This diversity is also reflected in the theoretical and conceptual approaches adopted, which span traditional philology, sociolinguistics, formal morphological and syntactic theory, semantics, and discourse-pragmatics. The volume will thus be an indispensable tool for researchers and students in French and (Gallo-) Romance linguistics as well as for readers interested in grammatical theory, sociolinguistics, and historical linguistics.


Book Synopsis Variation and Change in Gallo-Romance Grammar by : Sam Wolfe

Download or read book Variation and Change in Gallo-Romance Grammar written by Sam Wolfe and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-05-07 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume offers a wide-range of case studies on variation and change in the sub-family of the Romance languages that includes French and Occitan: Gallo-Romance. Both standard and non-standard Gallo-Romance data can be of enormous value to studies of morphosyntactic variation and change, yet, as the volume demonstrates, non-standard and comparative Gallo-Romance data have often been lacking in both synchronic and diachronic studies. Following an introduction that sets out the conceptual background, the volume is divided into three parts whose chapters explore a variety of topics in the domains of sentence structure, the verb complex, and word structure. The empirical foundation of the volume is exceptionally rich, drawing on standard and non-standard data from French, Occitan, Francoprovençal, Picard, Wallon, and Norman. This diversity is also reflected in the theoretical and conceptual approaches adopted, which span traditional philology, sociolinguistics, formal morphological and syntactic theory, semantics, and discourse-pragmatics. The volume will thus be an indispensable tool for researchers and students in French and (Gallo-) Romance linguistics as well as for readers interested in grammatical theory, sociolinguistics, and historical linguistics.


Grammaticalization Scenarios from Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific

Grammaticalization Scenarios from Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific

Author: Walter Bisang

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2020-09-21

Total Pages: 511

ISBN-13: 3110712733

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This volume intends to fill the gap in the grammaticalization studies setting as its goal the systematic description of grammaticalization processes in genealogically and structurally diverse languages. To address the problem of the limitations of the secondary sources for grammaticalization studies, the editors rely on sketches of grammaticalization phenomena from experts in individual languages guided by a typological questionnaire.


Book Synopsis Grammaticalization Scenarios from Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific by : Walter Bisang

Download or read book Grammaticalization Scenarios from Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific written by Walter Bisang and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2020-09-21 with total page 511 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume intends to fill the gap in the grammaticalization studies setting as its goal the systematic description of grammaticalization processes in genealogically and structurally diverse languages. To address the problem of the limitations of the secondary sources for grammaticalization studies, the editors rely on sketches of grammaticalization phenomena from experts in individual languages guided by a typological questionnaire.


A New Look at the Indo-European Verb

A New Look at the Indo-European Verb

Author: Luca Panieri

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 203

ISBN-13: 1326431021

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Book Synopsis A New Look at the Indo-European Verb by : Luca Panieri

Download or read book A New Look at the Indo-European Verb written by Luca Panieri and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2015 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: