LINGUIST List 14.1271

Tue May 6 2003

Books: Syntax, Norwegian: Strahan

Editor for this issue: Marisa Ferrara <marisalinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. LINCOM.EUROPA, Long-distance reflexives in Norwegian: Strahan

		
Title: Long-distance reflexives in Norwegian
Subtitle: A quantitative study
Series Title: LINCOM Studies in Germanic Linguistics 20
			
Publication Year: 2003
Publisher: Lincom GmbH
 http://home.t-online.de/home/LINCOM.EUROPA/
			
Availability: Available
 
Author: Tania E. Strahan, 

Paperback: ISBN: 3895867098, Pages: 190, Price: USD 48 / EUR 44 / GBP
	 33
Comment: Student/Course Discount: 40%
		
Abstract:
			
This study is an investigation into the acceptability of long-distance
reflexives (LDRs, sometimes called non-clause-bounded reflexives) to
speakers of Norwegian. This study uses a different methodology to all
other studies of this phenomenon, in that it uses a quantitative
approach to determine grammaticality and acceptability rather than an
introspective, purely qualitative analysis. In this respect, the
results of this study will be of interest to Norwegian linguists and
other researchers of syntax, since the judgements recorded are those
(on the whole) of 'average', non-linguistically trained
speakers. Their intuitions regarding the use of long-distance
reflexives provide valuable data, in particular in confirming
tendencies assumed in the syntax-oriented LDR literature, while also
showing that these tendencies are not absolute. It suggests that a
purely syntactic approach to LDR is too restrictive, at least for the
Norwegian data presented here.

The quantitative methodology shows the acceptability of LDR in
Norwegian is far from syntactically homogeneous, showing that current
approaches to LDR are inadequate. The results of this study show that
there are regional differences in the acceptability of LDR in
Norway. Other factors such as age, level of education, sex, the
'nativeness' of the speaker, the 'nativeness' of both the speaker's
parents and whether the speaker was from a city or the country also
affect a speaker's use and acceptance of LDR.

Tania E. Strahan completed her PhD in 2001 at The University of
Melbourne, Australia. The material in this book is based upon her
doctoral research.
			
Lingfield(s): Syntax

Subject Language(s): Norwegian, Bokmaal (Language Code: NRR)

Written In: English (Language Code: ENG)

 See this book announcement on our website:
 http://linguistlist.org/get-book.html?BookID=6033