LINGUIST List 11.2086

Sat Sep 30 2000

Books: Chinese Morph, Theoretical Ling, Lang Disorders

Editor for this issue: Naomi Ogasawara <naomilinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Joyce Reid, The Morphology of Chinese, J.L.Packard
2. Joyce Reid, Changing Valency, R.M.W. Dixon & A.Y.Aikhenvald (Ed.)
3. Joyce Reid, Understanding Children with Language Problems, S.Chiat

The Morphology of Chinese
A Linguistic and Cognitive Approach

Jerome L. Packard, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

This book aims to dispel the myth that Chinese "doesn't have words"
but instead "has characters." Jerome Packard challenges the common
belief that Chinese has no morphology, demonstrating how analysis of
Chinese word formation enhances our understanding of word universals
in natural language. His book describes the intimate relationship
between words and their components and offers new insights into their
evolution. Models are offered for how Chinese words are stored in the
mental lexicon and processed in natural speech.

Contents:

1. Introduction; 
2. Defining the word in Chinese; 
3. Chinese word components; 
4. Gestalt Chinese words; 
5. X-bar analysis of Chinese words; 
6. Lexicalization and Chinese words; 
7. Chinese words and the lexicon; 
8. Chinese words: conclusions.

2000/352 pp
77112-9/Hb/List: $64.95 Disc.: $51.96


AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW


http://www.cambridge.org

Changing Valency
Case Studies in Transitivity

Editors
R.M.W. Dixon, La Trobe University, Victoria
Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald, La Trobe University, Victoria


This book presents a wealth of information on some of the most
interesting languages in the world, most of them little-known in the
linguistics literature. The distinguished team of authors have each
examined "valency-changing mechanisms" (phenomena including passives
and causatives) in languages ranging from Amazonian Tariana to Alaskan
Eskimo, from Australian Ngan'gityemerri to Tsez from the
Caucasus. R. M. W. Dixon has also contributed a comprehensive chapter
on causatives across the languages of the world. The volume will
providevaluable insights both for formal theoreticians and for
linguistic typologists.

Contributors:

R. M. W. Dixon, Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald, Marianne Mithun, Masayuki Onishi,
Keren Rice, Lyle Campbell, Randy J. LaPolla, Mengistu Amberber, Nicholas Reid,
Bernard Comrie, Jack Martin

2000/429 pp./33 tables
66039-4/Hb/List: $69.95 Disc.: $55.96



AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW


http://www.cambridge.org

Understanding Children with Language Problems

Shula Chiat
City University, London

Some children can hear and can speak, yet have trouble understanding
or producing utterances. In this accessible introduction to the study
of children's language difficulties, Shula Chiat explores the
stumbling blocks that lie behind their struggle. The uniqueness of
this book lies in its focus on individual children, the extensive and
intriguing examples that illustrate their problems, and the
step-by-step search for the source of those problems. This book will
be welcomed by students of linguistics, language development and
language disorders; teachers of language-impaired children; and speech
and language therapists.

Contents:

Acknowledgements; 
Glossary of text conventions and symbols; 
Introduction; 
Part I. Wobbly Words: 
1. What's in a word; 
2. The child's road to words; 
3. Blocks on the road to words; 
4. Exploring the blockage; 
5. 'Dant always day dings'; 
6. 'Stip or step or slip or what?'; 

Part II. Verbs at Hazard: 
7. Translating events; 
8. Growing verb structures; 
9. Shortfalls with verbs; 
10.'Thing out. Tip in there'; 

Part III. Missing Bits and Pieces: 
11. Filling out sentences; 
12. 'That one not working, see'; 

Part IV. Hidden Meanings, Baffling Meanings: 
13. The roots of meaning; 
14. '[ae] you don't tell nobody this?'; 
15. 'I can speak Chinese: but I can't speak Chinese'; 
Endpoint and springboard; 
Further reading; 
References; 
Index.

Cambridge Approaches to Linguistics

2000/298 pp./2 halftones/28 line diagrams
57386-6/Hb/List: $54.95 Disc.: $43.96
57474-9/Pb/List: $19.95 Disc.: $15.96



AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW


http://www.cambridge.org