Word Order in Old Italian

Word Order in Old Italian

Author: Cecilia Poletto

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2014-02

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0199660247

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book offers an integrated description of all aspects of word order in Old Italian, looking at the left periphery not only of the sentence, but also of the verbal phrase and determiner phrase. It makes important contributions to the study of medieval Italian, Romance historical linguistics, and diachronic syntactic change more generally.


Book Synopsis Word Order in Old Italian by : Cecilia Poletto

Download or read book Word Order in Old Italian written by Cecilia Poletto and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014-02 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers an integrated description of all aspects of word order in Old Italian, looking at the left periphery not only of the sentence, but also of the verbal phrase and determiner phrase. It makes important contributions to the study of medieval Italian, Romance historical linguistics, and diachronic syntactic change more generally.


Word Order Change

Word Order Change

Author: Ana Maria Martins

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018-06-07

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 0191064467

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This volume explores word order change within the framework of diachronic generative syntax. Word order is at the core of natural language grammatical systems, linking syntax with prosody and with semantics and pragmatics. The chapters in this volume use the tools provided by the generative theory of grammar to examine the constrained ways in which historical word order variants have given way to new ones over time. Following an introduction by the editors, the book is divided into four parts that investigate changes regarding the targets for movement within the clausal functional hierarchy; changes (or stability) in the nature of the triggers for movement; verb movement into the left peripheries; and types of movement, with specific focus on word order change in Latin. Data are drawn from a wide variety of languages from different families and from both classical and modern periods, including Sanskrit, Tocharian, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Irish, Hungarian, and Coptic Egyptian. The book's broad coverage and combination of language-internal and comparative studies offers new perspectives on the relation between word order change and syntactic movement. The volume also provides a range of wider insights into the properties of natural language and the way in which those properties constrain language variation and change.


Book Synopsis Word Order Change by : Ana Maria Martins

Download or read book Word Order Change written by Ana Maria Martins and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-06-07 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume explores word order change within the framework of diachronic generative syntax. Word order is at the core of natural language grammatical systems, linking syntax with prosody and with semantics and pragmatics. The chapters in this volume use the tools provided by the generative theory of grammar to examine the constrained ways in which historical word order variants have given way to new ones over time. Following an introduction by the editors, the book is divided into four parts that investigate changes regarding the targets for movement within the clausal functional hierarchy; changes (or stability) in the nature of the triggers for movement; verb movement into the left peripheries; and types of movement, with specific focus on word order change in Latin. Data are drawn from a wide variety of languages from different families and from both classical and modern periods, including Sanskrit, Tocharian, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Irish, Hungarian, and Coptic Egyptian. The book's broad coverage and combination of language-internal and comparative studies offers new perspectives on the relation between word order change and syntactic movement. The volume also provides a range of wider insights into the properties of natural language and the way in which those properties constrain language variation and change.


Word Order and Parameter Change in Romanian

Word Order and Parameter Change in Romanian

Author: Alexandru Nicolae

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2019-06-06

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 0198807368

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The book provides a comprehensive description and in-depth analysis of the major word order changes that took place in the clausal and the nominal domains in the transition from old to modern Romanian. The data are set in a comparative Romance perspective, with attention also paid to the impact of the Balkan Sprachbund and the influence of Old Church Slavonic. Alexandru Nicolae's analysis is based on a qualitative and quantitative examination of a large number of phenomena in a representative corpus of old Romanian texts. Some of these phenomena, such as scrambling, interpolation, discontinuous constituents, and variation in the position and linearization of DP-internal adjectival modifiers, are found across Romance, while others, such as the low position for pronominal cliticization, are relatively rare. Still others are specific to old and modern Romanian, such as the proclitic and enclitic realization of the same pronominal clitic, the low definite article, and the adjectival article construction. From an empirical perspective, the volume fills a gap in the Romance linguistics literature, as several of the phenomena it explores have been largely neglected to date. More broadly it offers a valuable contribution to research into word order typology and change, the nature and content of syntactic parameters, and the theory of grammaticalization and syntactic change.


Book Synopsis Word Order and Parameter Change in Romanian by : Alexandru Nicolae

Download or read book Word Order and Parameter Change in Romanian written by Alexandru Nicolae and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2019-06-06 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book provides a comprehensive description and in-depth analysis of the major word order changes that took place in the clausal and the nominal domains in the transition from old to modern Romanian. The data are set in a comparative Romance perspective, with attention also paid to the impact of the Balkan Sprachbund and the influence of Old Church Slavonic. Alexandru Nicolae's analysis is based on a qualitative and quantitative examination of a large number of phenomena in a representative corpus of old Romanian texts. Some of these phenomena, such as scrambling, interpolation, discontinuous constituents, and variation in the position and linearization of DP-internal adjectival modifiers, are found across Romance, while others, such as the low position for pronominal cliticization, are relatively rare. Still others are specific to old and modern Romanian, such as the proclitic and enclitic realization of the same pronominal clitic, the low definite article, and the adjectival article construction. From an empirical perspective, the volume fills a gap in the Romance linguistics literature, as several of the phenomena it explores have been largely neglected to date. More broadly it offers a valuable contribution to research into word order typology and change, the nature and content of syntactic parameters, and the theory of grammaticalization and syntactic change.


Clause Structure and Word Order in the History of German

Clause Structure and Word Order in the History of German

Author: Agnes Jäger

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018-03-09

Total Pages: 480

ISBN-13: 0192543075

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This volume presents the first comprehensive generative account of the historical syntax of German. Leading scholars in the field survey a range of topics and offer new insights into central aspects of clause structure and word order, outlining the different stages of their historical development. Each chapter combines a solid empirical basis with descriptive generalizations, supported by a detailed discussion of theoretical analyses couched in the generative framework. Reference is also made throughout to the more traditional descriptive model of the German clause. The volume is divided into three parts that correspond to the main parts of the clause. Part I explores the left periphery, looking at verb placement (verb second and competing orders), the prefield, and adverbial connectives, while Part II discusses the middle field, including pronominal syntax, the order of full NPs, and the history of negation. The final part examines the right periphery with chapters covering basic word order (OV/VO), prosodic and information-structural factors, and the verbal complex. The book will be a valuable resource for researchers and students in historical syntax and the Germanic languages, and for both descriptive and theoretical linguists alike.


Book Synopsis Clause Structure and Word Order in the History of German by : Agnes Jäger

Download or read book Clause Structure and Word Order in the History of German written by Agnes Jäger and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-03-09 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume presents the first comprehensive generative account of the historical syntax of German. Leading scholars in the field survey a range of topics and offer new insights into central aspects of clause structure and word order, outlining the different stages of their historical development. Each chapter combines a solid empirical basis with descriptive generalizations, supported by a detailed discussion of theoretical analyses couched in the generative framework. Reference is also made throughout to the more traditional descriptive model of the German clause. The volume is divided into three parts that correspond to the main parts of the clause. Part I explores the left periphery, looking at verb placement (verb second and competing orders), the prefield, and adverbial connectives, while Part II discusses the middle field, including pronominal syntax, the order of full NPs, and the history of negation. The final part examines the right periphery with chapters covering basic word order (OV/VO), prosodic and information-structural factors, and the verbal complex. The book will be a valuable resource for researchers and students in historical syntax and the Germanic languages, and for both descriptive and theoretical linguists alike.


Verb Second in Medieval Romance

Verb Second in Medieval Romance

Author: Sam Wolfe

Publisher: Oxford Studies in Diachronic a

Published: 2018-12-06

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0198804679

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This volume provides the first book-length study of the controversial topic of Verb Second and related properties in a range of Medieval Romance varieties. It presents an examination and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data from Old French, Occitan, Sicilian, Venetian, Spanish, and Sardinian, in order to assess whether these were indeed Verb Second languages. Sam Wolfe argues that V-to-C movement is a point of continuity across all the medieval varieties - unlike in the modern Romance languages - but that there are rich patterns of synchronic and diachronic variation in the medieval period that have not previously been observed and investigated. These include differences in the syntax-pragmatics mapping, the locus of verb movement, the behaviour of clitic pronouns, the syntax of subject positions, matrix/embedded asymmetries, and the null argument properties of the languages in question. The book outlines a detailed formal cartographic analysis of both the attested synchronic patterns and the diachronic evolution of Romance clausal structure. The findings have widespread implications for the understanding of both the key typological property of Verb Second and the development of Latin into the modern Romance languages.


Book Synopsis Verb Second in Medieval Romance by : Sam Wolfe

Download or read book Verb Second in Medieval Romance written by Sam Wolfe and published by Oxford Studies in Diachronic a. This book was released on 2018-12-06 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides the first book-length study of the controversial topic of Verb Second and related properties in a range of Medieval Romance varieties. It presents an examination and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data from Old French, Occitan, Sicilian, Venetian, Spanish, and Sardinian, in order to assess whether these were indeed Verb Second languages. Sam Wolfe argues that V-to-C movement is a point of continuity across all the medieval varieties - unlike in the modern Romance languages - but that there are rich patterns of synchronic and diachronic variation in the medieval period that have not previously been observed and investigated. These include differences in the syntax-pragmatics mapping, the locus of verb movement, the behaviour of clitic pronouns, the syntax of subject positions, matrix/embedded asymmetries, and the null argument properties of the languages in question. The book outlines a detailed formal cartographic analysis of both the attested synchronic patterns and the diachronic evolution of Romance clausal structure. The findings have widespread implications for the understanding of both the key typological property of Verb Second and the development of Latin into the modern Romance languages.


The Determinants of Diachronic Stability

The Determinants of Diachronic Stability

Author: Anne Breitbarth

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Published: 2019-03-20

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 9027262756

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

While much of the literature has focused on explaining diachronic variation and change, the fact that sometimes change does not seem to happen has received much less attention. The current volume unites ten contributions that look for the determinants of diachronic stability, mainly in the areas of morphology and (morpho)syntax. The relevant question is approached from different angles, both empirical and theoretical. Empirically, the contributions deal with the absence of change where one may expect it, uncover underlying stability where traditionally diachronic change was postulated, and, inversely, superficial stability that disguises underlying change. Determining factors ranging from internal causes to language contact are explored. Theoretically, the questions of whether stable variation is possible, and how it can be modeled are addressed. The volume will be of interest to linguists working on the causes of language change, and to scholars working on the history of Germanic, Romance, and Sinitic languages.


Book Synopsis The Determinants of Diachronic Stability by : Anne Breitbarth

Download or read book The Determinants of Diachronic Stability written by Anne Breitbarth and published by John Benjamins Publishing Company. This book was released on 2019-03-20 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While much of the literature has focused on explaining diachronic variation and change, the fact that sometimes change does not seem to happen has received much less attention. The current volume unites ten contributions that look for the determinants of diachronic stability, mainly in the areas of morphology and (morpho)syntax. The relevant question is approached from different angles, both empirical and theoretical. Empirically, the contributions deal with the absence of change where one may expect it, uncover underlying stability where traditionally diachronic change was postulated, and, inversely, superficial stability that disguises underlying change. Determining factors ranging from internal causes to language contact are explored. Theoretically, the questions of whether stable variation is possible, and how it can be modeled are addressed. The volume will be of interest to linguists working on the causes of language change, and to scholars working on the history of Germanic, Romance, and Sinitic languages.


Historical Linguistics 2013

Historical Linguistics 2013

Author: Dag T.T. Haug

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Published: 2015-09-15

Total Pages: 327

ISBN-13: 9027268185

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The International Conference on Historical Linguistics is the main conference for specialists in language change, and the 2013 conference in Oslo drew more than 300 participants, with 182 papers presented in the general session. The 16 papers selected for inclusion in this volume from the general session of ICHL 2013 not only provide a clear picture of the state of the art in various subfields of historical linguistics but also present recent insights in diachronic phonology, typology, morphology and morphosyntax. The languages and families covered include English, German, Scandinavian, French, Occitan, Portuguese, Sardinian, Spanish, Ancient Greek, Old Japanese and Austronesian. The volume will be useful to any linguist with an interest in diachronic matters as well as general linguistic theory.


Book Synopsis Historical Linguistics 2013 by : Dag T.T. Haug

Download or read book Historical Linguistics 2013 written by Dag T.T. Haug and published by John Benjamins Publishing Company. This book was released on 2015-09-15 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The International Conference on Historical Linguistics is the main conference for specialists in language change, and the 2013 conference in Oslo drew more than 300 participants, with 182 papers presented in the general session. The 16 papers selected for inclusion in this volume from the general session of ICHL 2013 not only provide a clear picture of the state of the art in various subfields of historical linguistics but also present recent insights in diachronic phonology, typology, morphology and morphosyntax. The languages and families covered include English, German, Scandinavian, French, Occitan, Portuguese, Sardinian, Spanish, Ancient Greek, Old Japanese and Austronesian. The volume will be useful to any linguist with an interest in diachronic matters as well as general linguistic theory.


The Development of Latin Clause Structure

The Development of Latin Clause Structure

Author: Lieven Jozef Maria Danckaert

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 0198759525

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book examines Latin word order, and in particular the relative ordering of i) lexical verbs and direct objects (OV vs VO) and ii) auxiliaries and non-finite verbs (VAux vs AuxV). In Latin these elements can freely be ordered with respect to each other, whereas the present-day Romance languages only allow for the head-initial orders VO and AuxV. Lieven Danckaert offers a detailed, corpus-based description of these two word order alternations, focusing on their diachronic development in the period from c. 200 BC until 600 AD. The corpus data reveal that some received wisdom needs to be reconsidered: there is in fact no evidence for any major increase in productivity of the order VO during the eight centuries under investigation, and the order AuxV only becomes more frequent in clauses with a modal verb and an infinitive, not in clauses with a BE-auxiliary and a past participle. The book also explores a more fundamental question about Latin syntax, namely whether or not the language is configurational, in the sense that a phrase structure grammar (with 'higher-order constituents' such as verb phrases) is needed to describe and analyse Latin word order patterns. Four pieces of evidence are presented that suggest that Latin is indeed a fully configurational language, despite its high degree of word order flexibility. Specifically, it is shown that there is ample evidence for the existence of a verb phrase constituent. The book thus contributes to the ongoing debate regarding the status of configurationality as a language universal.


Book Synopsis The Development of Latin Clause Structure by : Lieven Jozef Maria Danckaert

Download or read book The Development of Latin Clause Structure written by Lieven Jozef Maria Danckaert and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines Latin word order, and in particular the relative ordering of i) lexical verbs and direct objects (OV vs VO) and ii) auxiliaries and non-finite verbs (VAux vs AuxV). In Latin these elements can freely be ordered with respect to each other, whereas the present-day Romance languages only allow for the head-initial orders VO and AuxV. Lieven Danckaert offers a detailed, corpus-based description of these two word order alternations, focusing on their diachronic development in the period from c. 200 BC until 600 AD. The corpus data reveal that some received wisdom needs to be reconsidered: there is in fact no evidence for any major increase in productivity of the order VO during the eight centuries under investigation, and the order AuxV only becomes more frequent in clauses with a modal verb and an infinitive, not in clauses with a BE-auxiliary and a past participle. The book also explores a more fundamental question about Latin syntax, namely whether or not the language is configurational, in the sense that a phrase structure grammar (with 'higher-order constituents' such as verb phrases) is needed to describe and analyse Latin word order patterns. Four pieces of evidence are presented that suggest that Latin is indeed a fully configurational language, despite its high degree of word order flexibility. Specifically, it is shown that there is ample evidence for the existence of a verb phrase constituent. The book thus contributes to the ongoing debate regarding the status of configurationality as a language universal.


Sentence Processing: A Crosslinguistic Perspective

Sentence Processing: A Crosslinguistic Perspective

Author: Dieter Hillert

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 1998-07-13

Total Pages: 458

ISBN-13: 0585492239

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The innovative element of this volume is its overview of the fundamental psycholinguistic topics involved in sentence processing. While most psycholinguistic studies focus on a single language and induce a general model of universal sentence processing, this volume proposes a cross-linguistic approach. It contains two distinct features first embraced in the 18th century by brothers Freiherr Wilhelm von Humboldt and Alexander von Humboldt. First, it offers a linguistic theory that characterizes universal cognitive features of the human language processor (or the mind and its biological source), independent of a single language structure. Second, it contains a language theory which considers the diversity of linguistic structures and provides a powerful theory of language processing. Contributors cover a wide range of topics, including word recognition, fixed expressions, grammatical constraints, empty categories, and parsing. Their research involves analyses of 12 languages. This book provides an overview of central psycholinguistic topics in sentence processing; and combines deductive and inductive methods in fashioning an innovative approach. The contributors address word recognition, fixed expressions, grammatical constraints, empty categories, and parsing. Its original papers form a coherent presentation.


Book Synopsis Sentence Processing: A Crosslinguistic Perspective by : Dieter Hillert

Download or read book Sentence Processing: A Crosslinguistic Perspective written by Dieter Hillert and published by BRILL. This book was released on 1998-07-13 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The innovative element of this volume is its overview of the fundamental psycholinguistic topics involved in sentence processing. While most psycholinguistic studies focus on a single language and induce a general model of universal sentence processing, this volume proposes a cross-linguistic approach. It contains two distinct features first embraced in the 18th century by brothers Freiherr Wilhelm von Humboldt and Alexander von Humboldt. First, it offers a linguistic theory that characterizes universal cognitive features of the human language processor (or the mind and its biological source), independent of a single language structure. Second, it contains a language theory which considers the diversity of linguistic structures and provides a powerful theory of language processing. Contributors cover a wide range of topics, including word recognition, fixed expressions, grammatical constraints, empty categories, and parsing. Their research involves analyses of 12 languages. This book provides an overview of central psycholinguistic topics in sentence processing; and combines deductive and inductive methods in fashioning an innovative approach. The contributors address word recognition, fixed expressions, grammatical constraints, empty categories, and parsing. Its original papers form a coherent presentation.


Continuity and Variation in Germanic and Romance

Continuity and Variation in Germanic and Romance

Author: Sam Wolfe

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2021-05-20

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13: 0192578057

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This volume offers a range of synchronic and diachronic case studies in comparative Germanic and Romance morphosyntax. These two language families, spoken by over a billion people today, have played a central role in linguistic research, but many significant questions remain about the relationship between them. Following an introduction that sets out the methodological, empirical, and theoretical background to the book, the volume is divided into three parts that deal with the morphosyntax of subjects and the inflectional layer; inversion, discourse pragmatics, and the left periphery; and continuity and variation beyond the clause. The contributors adopt a diverse range of approaches, making use of the latest digitized corpora and presenting a mixture of well-known and under-studied data from standard and non-standard Germanic and Romance languages. Many of the chapters challenge received wisdom about the relationship between these two important language families. The volume will be an indispensable resource for researchers and students in the fields of Germanic and Romance linguistics, historical and comparative linguistics, and morphosyntax.


Book Synopsis Continuity and Variation in Germanic and Romance by : Sam Wolfe

Download or read book Continuity and Variation in Germanic and Romance written by Sam Wolfe and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021-05-20 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume offers a range of synchronic and diachronic case studies in comparative Germanic and Romance morphosyntax. These two language families, spoken by over a billion people today, have played a central role in linguistic research, but many significant questions remain about the relationship between them. Following an introduction that sets out the methodological, empirical, and theoretical background to the book, the volume is divided into three parts that deal with the morphosyntax of subjects and the inflectional layer; inversion, discourse pragmatics, and the left periphery; and continuity and variation beyond the clause. The contributors adopt a diverse range of approaches, making use of the latest digitized corpora and presenting a mixture of well-known and under-studied data from standard and non-standard Germanic and Romance languages. Many of the chapters challenge received wisdom about the relationship between these two important language families. The volume will be an indispensable resource for researchers and students in the fields of Germanic and Romance linguistics, historical and comparative linguistics, and morphosyntax.