LINGUIST List 11.1535

Wed Jul 12 2000

Books: Theoretical Linguistics, Sign Languages

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



Links to the websites of all LINGUIST's supporting publishers are available at the end of this issue.

Directory

  • LINCOM EUROPA, Theoretical Linguistics: C. Lehmann, Y. M. Shin & E. Verhoeven
  • LINCOM EUROPA, Sign Languages: Ulrike Zeshan

    Message 1: Theoretical Linguistics: C. Lehmann, Y. M. Shin & E. Verhoeven

     Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2000 23:30:43 +0200
    From: LINCOM EUROPA <LINCOM.EUROPAt-online.de>
    Subject: Theoretical Linguistics: C. Lehmann, Y. M. Shin & E. Verhoeven


    Person prominence and relation prominence

    On the typology of syntactic relations with special reference to Yucatec Maya

    Christian Lehmann, Yong-Min Shin, Elisabeth Verhoeven

    Two types of syntactic structures are postulated, one of person prominence, which is present in Standard Average European (SAE) languages, following Benjamin L. Whorf's term, and one of relation prominence, which is present in Yucatec Maya. The diverse structural manifestations of the two types and their implications for the organization of grammar are explored within eight mostly unrelated languages, English, German, Korean, Lezgian, Maori, Samoan, Tamil, and Yucatec Maya. The syntactic organization in different grammatical areas, namely modal and phase operator constructions, possessive constructions, experiential constructions, and benefactive constructions, is investigated and the languages are arranged on a continuum of person and relation prominence.

    The study is intended for typologists, descriptive linguists and mayanists, but may as well be of interest to philologists of any of the other languages.

    Christian Lehmann is professor for general and comparative linguistics at the University of Erfurt. He mainly attends to the study of language typology and the description of Yucatec Maya. Yong-Min Shin is writing his dissertation thesis on 'Possessive and participant relations in German and Korean' at the University of Bielefeld. Elisabeth Verhoeven is writing her thesis on 'Experiencer constructions in Yucatec Maya' at the same University.

    Table of Contents:

    1. Introduction

    2. Theoretical background 2.1. The cognitive structure of a situation 2.1.1. Situation, situation core, and participants 2.1.2. Participant features 2.1.3. Participant roles 2.2. Syntactic functions 2.3. Correlation between syntactic functions and participant roles

    3. Prominence in typology 3.1. Subject prominence vs. topic prominence 3.2. Reference domination vs. role domination 3.3. Person prominence vs. relation prominence

    4. Languages investigated 4.1. Yucatec Maya 4.2. Samoan 4.3. Maori 4.4. Tamil 4.5. Lezgian 4.6. Korean

    5. Prominence in syntactic constructions 5.1. Introduction 5.2. Higher predicates 5.2.1. Modal predicates 5.2.2. Phase predicates 5.2.3. Tense, aspect, and aktionsart auxiliaries 5.3. Possessive constructions 5.3.1. Part-whole relations 5.3.2. Ascription of possession 5.3.3. Predication of belonging 5.3.4. Ascription of property to body part 5.3.5. Affection of possessor 5.4. Mental, sensual, and emotional states and processes 5.4.1. Preliminaries 5.4.2. Sensual states and processes 5.4.3. Emotional states and processes 5.4.4. Mental states and processes 5.4.5. Conclusion 5.5. Benefactive

    6. Relation prominence in YM: a historical-comparative perspective 6.1. Colonial Yucatec Maya 6.1.1. Preliminaries 6.1.2. Modal predicates 6.1.3. Phase predicates 6.1.4. Aspect auxiliaries 6.1.5. Conclusion 6.2. Cognate languages 6.2.1. Preliminaries 6.2.2. Higher predicates 6.2.3. Possessive constructions 6.2.4. Mental, sensual and emotional states and processes 6.2.5. Benefactive 6.2.6. Conclusion

    7. Typology 7.1. Empirical generalizations 7.1.1. The domain of possession 7.1.2. Higher predicates 7.1.3. Participant roles 7.2. Grammatical correlations 7.3. Conclusion

    Indices Abbreviations Morpheme glosses & syntactic categories Languages Sources of data Bibliographical references

    ISBN 3 89586 608 3. LINCOM Studies in Theoretical Linguistics 17. Ca. 180pp. EUR 34.77 / USD 44 / DM 68 / � 25.

    Ordering information for individuals:

    Please give us your creditcard no. / expiry date. Prices in this information include shipment worldwide by airmail. A standing order for this series is available with special discounts offered to individual subscribers.

    Free copies of LINCOM'S newsflashes 20 & 21 are now available from LINCOM.EUROPAt-online.de.

    LINCOM EUROPA, Freibadstr. 3, D-81543 Muenchen, Germany; FAX +49 89 62269404; http://www.lincom-europa.com LINCOM.EUROPAt-online.de.

    Message 2: Sign Languages: Ulrike Zeshan

     Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2000 23:43:01 +0200
    From: LINCOM EUROPA <LINCOM.EUROPAt-online.de>
    Subject: Sign Languages: Ulrike Zeshan


    Sign Languages of the Indian Subcontinent

    ULRIKE ZESHAN, Research Centre for Linguistic Typology This is the first extensive documentation of a non-Western sign language on all relevant levels of linguistic description. The topics covered range from morphology and syntax (word classes, grammatical relations, sentence types, etc.) to sign language specific issues such as the use of space and facial expressions in the grammar. Sociolinguistic data, a lexical comparison of regional varieties, the analysis of discourse features and many graphics and examples round off the volume.

    The author is a linguist specializing in sign language research and language typology and a researcher at the Research Centre for Linguistic Typology in Australia. (written in German).

    ISBN 3 89586 962 7. Linguistic Research Forum 04. 200 pp. EUR 47.04 / USD 51 / DM 92 / � 30.

    Ordering information for individuals:

    Please give us your creditcard no. / expiry date. Prices in this information include shipment worldwide by airmail. A standing order for this series is available with special discounts offered to individual subscribers.

    Free copies of LINCOM'S newsflashes 20 & 21 are now available from LINCOM.EUROPAt-online.de.

    LINCOM EUROPA, Freibadstr. 3, D-81543 Muenchen, Germany; FAX +49 89 62269404; http://www.lincom-europa.com LINCOM.EUROPAt-online.de.
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