The author provides an account of English inversion, a construction that displays perplexing idiosyncrasies at the level of semantics, phonology, syntax, and pragmatics. Basing his central argument on the claim that inversion is a linguistic representation of a Ground-before-Figure model, the author develops an elegant solution to a hitherto unsolved multidimensional linguistic puzzle and, in the process, supports the theoretical position that a cognitive approach best suits the multidimensionality of language itself. Engagingly written, the book appeals to linguists of all persuasions and to any reader curious about the relationship between language and cognition. FROM THE CONTENTS: Chapter 1: Preliminaries1. Issues of inversion2. Previous research 3. Relevant tenets of cognitive linguistics 4. Other issuesChapter 2: Inversion as GbF instantiation1. The GbF model2. LOC BE: The prototype3. PATH Vm: From existence to motion 4. NSPAT BE: From spatiality to nonspatiality5. A radial classification6. The phonology of inversion: A matter of focus7. GbF and information packaging: A comparisonChapter 3: Syntactic constraints1. Polarity2. Transitivity3. Embeddedness4. Auxiliaries5. Weight6. SummaryChapter 4: Inversion in discourse1. Discourse types: A tripartite2. Inversion in description3. Inversion in narration4. Inversion in exposition5. Summary6. Inversion in parodyChapter 5: Conclusion1. Summary2. GbF representation in other languagesTo sign up for our FREE ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER, please visit our website at www.degruyter.de/newsletterTo order, please contact SFG-Servicecenter-Fachverlage GmbHPostfach 434372774 Reutlingen, GermanyFax: +49 (0)7071 - 93 53 - 33E-mail: deGruyter@s-f-g.com For USA, Canada and Mexico:Walter de Gruyter, Inc.200 Saw Mill River RoadHawthorne, NY 10532, USAFax: +1 (914) 747-1326E-mail: cs@degruyterny.comPlease visit our website for other publications by Mouton de Gruyter: http://www.mouton-publishers.com