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Description:
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Discourse and Grammar in Australian Languages is the first major survey to
address the issue of the effects of information packaging on Australian
languages, widely known for nonconfigurationality. The papers are based on
individual fieldwork and describe a wide range of Australian languages of
different types, ranging from the polysynthetic languages of Arnhem Land
and the Kimberley to the classical types represented by Walpiri. Topics
covered include the pragmatics of information exchange, the interaction of
noun class marking with polarity and referentiality, the effects of
specificity on argument indexing, the discourse uses of the ergative case,
the contribution of pronouns to NP reference, the interaction of tense and
aspect clitics with information structure, clause-initial position, and
discourse and grammar in Australian languages. The volume will appeal to
scholars interested in discourse, typology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.
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