Micro-syntactic Variation in North American English

Micro-syntactic Variation in North American English

Author: Raffaella Zanuttini

Publisher: Oxford Studies in Comparative

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 377

ISBN-13: 0199367213

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Comparative work on linguistic varieties that are overall very similar can help us determine where and how exactly grammatical systems differ from one another, and how they change over time. This book explores a range of data on unfamiliar constructions across regional and social dialects.


Book Synopsis Micro-syntactic Variation in North American English by : Raffaella Zanuttini

Download or read book Micro-syntactic Variation in North American English written by Raffaella Zanuttini and published by Oxford Studies in Comparative. This book was released on 2014 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comparative work on linguistic varieties that are overall very similar can help us determine where and how exactly grammatical systems differ from one another, and how they change over time. This book explores a range of data on unfamiliar constructions across regional and social dialects.


The Syntactic Variation of Spanish Dialects

The Syntactic Variation of Spanish Dialects

Author: Ángel J. Gallego

Publisher: Oxford Studies in Comparative

Published: 2019-09-25

Total Pages: 425

ISBN-13: 0190634790

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This book offers a comprehensive overview of the syntactic variation of Spanish dialects, opening new avenues of theoretical and empirical discussion. The volume focuses on both European and American varieties of Spanish, addressing several syntactic constructions and phenomena.


Book Synopsis The Syntactic Variation of Spanish Dialects by : Ángel J. Gallego

Download or read book The Syntactic Variation of Spanish Dialects written by Ángel J. Gallego and published by Oxford Studies in Comparative. This book was released on 2019-09-25 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a comprehensive overview of the syntactic variation of Spanish dialects, opening new avenues of theoretical and empirical discussion. The volume focuses on both European and American varieties of Spanish, addressing several syntactic constructions and phenomena.


The Oxford Handbook of African American Language

The Oxford Handbook of African American Language

Author: Sonja Lanehart

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2015-05-04

Total Pages: 928

ISBN-13: 0199795509

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The goal of The Oxford Handbook of African American Language is to provide readers with a wide range of analyses of both traditional and contemporary work on language use in African American communities in a broad collective. The Handbook offers a survey of language and its uses in African American communities from a wide range of contexts organized into seven sections: Origins and Historical Perspectives; Lects and Variation; Structure and Description; Child Language Acquisition and Development; Education; Language in Society; and Language and Identity. It is a handbook of research on African American Language (AAL) and, as such, provides a variety of scholarly perspectives that may not align with each other -- as is indicative of most scholarly research. The chapters in this book "interact" with one another as contributors frequently refer the reader to further elaboration on and references to related issues and connect their own research to related topics in other chapters within their own sections and the handbook more generally to create dialogue about AAL, thus affirming the need for collaborative thinking about the issues in AAL research. Though the Handbook does not and cannot include every area of research, it is meant to provide suggestions for future work on lesser-studied areas (e.g., variation/heterogeneity in regional, social, and ethnic communities) by highlighting a need for collaborative perspectives and innovative thinking while reasserting the need for better research and communication in areas thought to be resolved.


Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of African American Language by : Sonja Lanehart

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of African American Language written by Sonja Lanehart and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015-05-04 with total page 928 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The goal of The Oxford Handbook of African American Language is to provide readers with a wide range of analyses of both traditional and contemporary work on language use in African American communities in a broad collective. The Handbook offers a survey of language and its uses in African American communities from a wide range of contexts organized into seven sections: Origins and Historical Perspectives; Lects and Variation; Structure and Description; Child Language Acquisition and Development; Education; Language in Society; and Language and Identity. It is a handbook of research on African American Language (AAL) and, as such, provides a variety of scholarly perspectives that may not align with each other -- as is indicative of most scholarly research. The chapters in this book "interact" with one another as contributors frequently refer the reader to further elaboration on and references to related issues and connect their own research to related topics in other chapters within their own sections and the handbook more generally to create dialogue about AAL, thus affirming the need for collaborative thinking about the issues in AAL research. Though the Handbook does not and cannot include every area of research, it is meant to provide suggestions for future work on lesser-studied areas (e.g., variation/heterogeneity in regional, social, and ethnic communities) by highlighting a need for collaborative perspectives and innovative thinking while reasserting the need for better research and communication in areas thought to be resolved.


Microparametric Syntax and Dialect Variation

Microparametric Syntax and Dialect Variation

Author: James R. Black

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 1996-11-07

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 9027276226

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Richard Kayne’s introduction to this volume stresses that comparative work on the syntax of very closely related languages and dialects is a research tool promising to provide both a broad understanding of parameters at their finest-grained and an approach to the question of the minimal units of syntactic variation. The 11 articles in this collection demonstrate the use of this tool in analyzing microparametric variation, principally with reference to Chomsky’s Minimalist program, in a variety of languages. Topics include se/si constructions, hypothetical infinitives and adverbial quantifiers in French and other Romance languages; that-trace variation, Scandinavian possessive constructions, reflexives and subject-verb agreement in Icelandic & Faroese, and verb clusters in continental West Germanic dialects; anaphoric agreement in Labrador Inuttut; negative particle questions in Chinese; imperative inversion in Belfast English; and the second person singular interrogative in the traditional vernacular of Bolton.


Book Synopsis Microparametric Syntax and Dialect Variation by : James R. Black

Download or read book Microparametric Syntax and Dialect Variation written by James R. Black and published by John Benjamins Publishing. This book was released on 1996-11-07 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Richard Kayne’s introduction to this volume stresses that comparative work on the syntax of very closely related languages and dialects is a research tool promising to provide both a broad understanding of parameters at their finest-grained and an approach to the question of the minimal units of syntactic variation. The 11 articles in this collection demonstrate the use of this tool in analyzing microparametric variation, principally with reference to Chomsky’s Minimalist program, in a variety of languages. Topics include se/si constructions, hypothetical infinitives and adverbial quantifiers in French and other Romance languages; that-trace variation, Scandinavian possessive constructions, reflexives and subject-verb agreement in Icelandic & Faroese, and verb clusters in continental West Germanic dialects; anaphoric agreement in Labrador Inuttut; negative particle questions in Chinese; imperative inversion in Belfast English; and the second person singular interrogative in the traditional vernacular of Bolton.


Parameters of Predicate Fronting

Parameters of Predicate Fronting

Author: Vera Lee-Schoenfeld

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 0197545556

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"In Parameters of Predicate Fronting, Vera Lee-Schoenfeld and Dennis Ott bring together leaders in comparative syntax to explore the empirical manifestations and theoretical modeling of predicate fronting across languages. There exists a rich literature on predicate fronting, but few attempts have been made at synthesizing the resulting empirical observations and theoretical implementations. While individual phenomena have been described, we are far from a complete understanding of the uniformity and variation underlying the wider cross-linguistic picture. This volume takes important steps toward this goal by showcasing state-of-the-art research on predicate fronting and the parameters governing its realization. Covering topics like prosody, VP-fronting, and predicate doubling across a wide range of languages, this collection enriches our understanding of the predicate fronting phenomenon."--Back cover.


Book Synopsis Parameters of Predicate Fronting by : Vera Lee-Schoenfeld

Download or read book Parameters of Predicate Fronting written by Vera Lee-Schoenfeld and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In Parameters of Predicate Fronting, Vera Lee-Schoenfeld and Dennis Ott bring together leaders in comparative syntax to explore the empirical manifestations and theoretical modeling of predicate fronting across languages. There exists a rich literature on predicate fronting, but few attempts have been made at synthesizing the resulting empirical observations and theoretical implementations. While individual phenomena have been described, we are far from a complete understanding of the uniformity and variation underlying the wider cross-linguistic picture. This volume takes important steps toward this goal by showcasing state-of-the-art research on predicate fronting and the parameters governing its realization. Covering topics like prosody, VP-fronting, and predicate doubling across a wide range of languages, this collection enriches our understanding of the predicate fronting phenomenon."--Back cover.


Questions of Syntax

Questions of Syntax

Author: Richard S. Kayne

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2019-03-22

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 0190863609

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There are far more syntactically distinct languages than we might have thought; yet there are far fewer than there might have been. Questions of Syntax collects sixteen papers authored by Richard S. Kayne, a preeminent theoretical syntactician, who has sought over the course of his career to understand why both these facts are true. With a particular emphasis on comparative syntax, these chapters collectively consider how wide a range of questions the field of syntax can reasonably attempt to ask and then answer. At issue, among other topics, are the relation between syntax and (certain aspects of) semantics, the relation between syntax and what appear to be lexical questions, the relation between syntax and morphology, the relation between syntax and certain aspects of phonology (insofar as silent elements and their properties play a substantial role), and the extent to which comparative syntax can provide new and decisive evidence bearing on these different kinds of questions. To Kayne, comparative syntax can shed light on what may initially seem lexical questions, and antisymmetry on the evolution of human language itself. Taken as a whole, these essays elucidate the theoretical contributions of one the most influential scholars in linguistics.


Book Synopsis Questions of Syntax by : Richard S. Kayne

Download or read book Questions of Syntax written by Richard S. Kayne and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-03-22 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are far more syntactically distinct languages than we might have thought; yet there are far fewer than there might have been. Questions of Syntax collects sixteen papers authored by Richard S. Kayne, a preeminent theoretical syntactician, who has sought over the course of his career to understand why both these facts are true. With a particular emphasis on comparative syntax, these chapters collectively consider how wide a range of questions the field of syntax can reasonably attempt to ask and then answer. At issue, among other topics, are the relation between syntax and (certain aspects of) semantics, the relation between syntax and what appear to be lexical questions, the relation between syntax and morphology, the relation between syntax and certain aspects of phonology (insofar as silent elements and their properties play a substantial role), and the extent to which comparative syntax can provide new and decisive evidence bearing on these different kinds of questions. To Kayne, comparative syntax can shed light on what may initially seem lexical questions, and antisymmetry on the evolution of human language itself. Taken as a whole, these essays elucidate the theoretical contributions of one the most influential scholars in linguistics.


Anti-contiguity

Anti-contiguity

Author: Jason Kandybowicz

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2020-10-15

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 0197509754

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A recent wave of research has explored the link between wh- syntax and prosody, breaking with the traditional generative conception of a unidirectional syntax-phonology relationship. In this book, Jason Kandybowicz develops Anti-contiguity Theory as a compelling alternative to Richards' Contiguity Theory to explain the interaction between the distribution of interrogative expressions and the prosodic system of a language. Through original and highly detailed fieldwork on several under-studied West African languages (Krachi, Bono, Wasa, Asante Twi, and Nupe), Kandybowicz presents empirically and theoretically rich analyses bearing directly on a number of important theories of the syntax-prosody interface. His observations and analyses stem from original fieldwork on all five languages and represent some of the first prosodic descriptions of the languages. The book also considers data from thirteen additional typologically diverse languages to demonstrate the theory's reach and extendibility. Against the backdrop of data from eighteen languages, Anti-contiguity offers a new lens on the empirical and theoretical study of wh- prosody.


Book Synopsis Anti-contiguity by : Jason Kandybowicz

Download or read book Anti-contiguity written by Jason Kandybowicz and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-10-15 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A recent wave of research has explored the link between wh- syntax and prosody, breaking with the traditional generative conception of a unidirectional syntax-phonology relationship. In this book, Jason Kandybowicz develops Anti-contiguity Theory as a compelling alternative to Richards' Contiguity Theory to explain the interaction between the distribution of interrogative expressions and the prosodic system of a language. Through original and highly detailed fieldwork on several under-studied West African languages (Krachi, Bono, Wasa, Asante Twi, and Nupe), Kandybowicz presents empirically and theoretically rich analyses bearing directly on a number of important theories of the syntax-prosody interface. His observations and analyses stem from original fieldwork on all five languages and represent some of the first prosodic descriptions of the languages. The book also considers data from thirteen additional typologically diverse languages to demonstrate the theory's reach and extendibility. Against the backdrop of data from eighteen languages, Anti-contiguity offers a new lens on the empirical and theoretical study of wh- prosody.


Locality and Logophoricity

Locality and Logophoricity

Author: Isabelle Charnavel

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2019-10-23

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 0190902124

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Locality and Logophoricity investigates what the distribution of pronominal expressions in various languages can tell us about the structure of the human language faculty. The exploration of this question in the past fifty years has led to the development of a general theory of referential dependency, namely Binding Theory. This book focuses on Condition A of this theory, which concerns referentially dependent expressions such as English herself, French elle-même or Mandarin ziji. Specifically, it tackles an issue of apparent ambiguity presented by many of these reflexives across languages: in a large number of unrelated languages, we observe that the same reflexive form must obey either syntactic constraints or discourse constraints related to perspective. The specific aim of the book is to describe and explain this widespread dual behavior of reflexives. A detailed empirical investigation based mainly on systematically collected French, English, Icelandic, Mandarin, and Korean data leads the author to propose a unified solution to this issue. This proposal has consequences both for Binding Theory and for the theory of logophoricity, which addresses the impact of perspective on linguistic systems.


Book Synopsis Locality and Logophoricity by : Isabelle Charnavel

Download or read book Locality and Logophoricity written by Isabelle Charnavel and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-10-23 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Locality and Logophoricity investigates what the distribution of pronominal expressions in various languages can tell us about the structure of the human language faculty. The exploration of this question in the past fifty years has led to the development of a general theory of referential dependency, namely Binding Theory. This book focuses on Condition A of this theory, which concerns referentially dependent expressions such as English herself, French elle-même or Mandarin ziji. Specifically, it tackles an issue of apparent ambiguity presented by many of these reflexives across languages: in a large number of unrelated languages, we observe that the same reflexive form must obey either syntactic constraints or discourse constraints related to perspective. The specific aim of the book is to describe and explain this widespread dual behavior of reflexives. A detailed empirical investigation based mainly on systematically collected French, English, Icelandic, Mandarin, and Korean data leads the author to propose a unified solution to this issue. This proposal has consequences both for Binding Theory and for the theory of logophoricity, which addresses the impact of perspective on linguistic systems.


The Linker in the Khoisan Languages

The Linker in the Khoisan Languages

Author: Chris Collins

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2019-05-13

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 0190921382

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The linker introduces ("links") a variety of expressions into the verb phrase, including locatives, the second object of a double object construction, the second object of a causative, instruments, subject matter arguments, and adverbs. This volume collects together Chris Collins's published work on the linker in the Khoisan languages. Here, Collins offers a systematic description of the linker in [lHoã, Ju|'hoan, N|uu, and to a lesser extent !Xoõ and |Xam. For each language, Collins illustrates various uses of the linker, drawing attention to cross-linguistic generalizations as well as to variation between the languages. The work presented in this volume should be of interest to researchers working in a wide variety of syntactic frameworks on different languages of the world.


Book Synopsis The Linker in the Khoisan Languages by : Chris Collins

Download or read book The Linker in the Khoisan Languages written by Chris Collins and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-05-13 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The linker introduces ("links") a variety of expressions into the verb phrase, including locatives, the second object of a double object construction, the second object of a causative, instruments, subject matter arguments, and adverbs. This volume collects together Chris Collins's published work on the linker in the Khoisan languages. Here, Collins offers a systematic description of the linker in [lHoã, Ju|'hoan, N|uu, and to a lesser extent !Xoõ and |Xam. For each language, Collins illustrates various uses of the linker, drawing attention to cross-linguistic generalizations as well as to variation between the languages. The work presented in this volume should be of interest to researchers working in a wide variety of syntactic frameworks on different languages of the world.


The Syntax of Yes and No

The Syntax of Yes and No

Author: Anders Holmberg

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 263

ISBN-13: 0198701853

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This book is a cross-linguistic study of the syntax of yes-no questions and their answers, drawing on data from a wide range of languages with particular focus on English, Finnish, Swedish, Thai, and Chinese. There are broadly two types of answer to yes-no questions: those that employ particles such as 'yes' and 'no' (as found in English) and those that echo a part of the question, usually the finite verb, with or without negation (as found in Finnish). The latter are uncontroversially derived by ellipsis, while the former have been claimed to be clause substitutes. Anders Holmberg argues instead that even answers that employ particles are complete sentences, derived by ellipsis from full sentential expressions, and that the two types share essential syntactic properties. The book also examines the related cross-linguistic and intralinguistic variation observed in answers to negative questions such as 'does he not drink coffee?', whereby 'yes' in one language appears to correspond to 'no' in another. The book illustrates how a seemingly trivial phenomenon can have the most wide-ranging consequences for theories of language, and will be of interest not only to theoretical linguists but also to students and scholars of typological and descriptive linguistics.


Book Synopsis The Syntax of Yes and No by : Anders Holmberg

Download or read book The Syntax of Yes and No written by Anders Holmberg and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a cross-linguistic study of the syntax of yes-no questions and their answers, drawing on data from a wide range of languages with particular focus on English, Finnish, Swedish, Thai, and Chinese. There are broadly two types of answer to yes-no questions: those that employ particles such as 'yes' and 'no' (as found in English) and those that echo a part of the question, usually the finite verb, with or without negation (as found in Finnish). The latter are uncontroversially derived by ellipsis, while the former have been claimed to be clause substitutes. Anders Holmberg argues instead that even answers that employ particles are complete sentences, derived by ellipsis from full sentential expressions, and that the two types share essential syntactic properties. The book also examines the related cross-linguistic and intralinguistic variation observed in answers to negative questions such as 'does he not drink coffee?', whereby 'yes' in one language appears to correspond to 'no' in another. The book illustrates how a seemingly trivial phenomenon can have the most wide-ranging consequences for theories of language, and will be of interest not only to theoretical linguists but also to students and scholars of typological and descriptive linguistics.