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Description:
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The relationship between changes in (inflectional) morphology and the
consequences of these changes in syntax has been a perennial issue in
historical linguistics. The contributors to this volume address the issue
of how to model the phenomena of syntactic and morphological change within
recent frameworks, including the Minimalist Programme. Topics addressed
include the way categories like aspect and mood interact over time with the
valency of verbs; the nature of changes in verb placement; the changing
division of labor between different types of argument marking--case, word
order, clitics, agreement. The volume contains chapters by many of the
leading scholars in the field. There is a substantial introduction which
reviews the development of ideas in generative historical syntax over the
last fifteen years, and assesses the distinctive properties of the
generative position. The volume will appeal to those working in theoretical
syntax, and also to specialists in the history of German, French and the
Romance and Germanic languages more broadly.
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