To be or not to be? The Verbum Substantivum from Synchronic, Diachronic and Typological Perspectives
To be or not to be? The Verbum Substantivum from Synchronic, Diachronic and Typological Perspectives

Author: Michail L. Kotin

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2015-10-13

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13: 144388491X

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The verbs of the 'to be'-group, also called verba substantiva, belong to the most enigmatic phenomena of the human language. Combining a distinct suppletivity of their conjugational forms in most languages with a striking semantic and functional ambiguity, as well as unique syntactic capabilities, they form a very specific class of linguistic entities. They can be referred to, without exaggeration, as one of the conceptually gravest and most "symptomatic" language formations. Typologically, the be-verbs demonstrate, on the one hand, a set of similar features in almost every language, which is excellent evidence of their universal validity. On the other hand, the differences between these verbs in various language groups and even in particular languages are remarkable proof of language relativism. Historically, the be-verbs show a sequence of relevant stages in their formal, semantic and syntactic developments, which in many aspects coincide with their typological and individual, "idioethnic" features and properties. One can trace, among other things, paths and mechanisms of their development and salient changes of their functions in language systems of different types. Especially important are also changes in the form and function of the be-verbs arising from language contact, for they indicate essential tendencies in the evolution of these entities accelerated by the influence of language interaction triggers. The contribution of to be-verbs to the morphology, semantics and syntax of the majority of the languages of the world is substantial from a number of perspectives, and these verbs belong to the most complex and simultaneously central entities of human language. For this reason their analysis must continually be synchronized with the newest results of general linguistic research. This volume, hence, describes and interprets the to be-verbs and constructions in the broad context of contemporary linguistic research, including synchrony, diachrony, diatopy, language contrast and typology.

Afrikaans Linguistics
Afrikaans Linguistics

Author: WAM Carstens

Publisher: African Sun Media

Published: 2024-10-03

Total Pages: 734

ISBN-13: 1991260520

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Offering a contemporary exploration of the multifaceted landscape of Afrikaans linguistics, Afrikaans Linguistics: Contemporary Perspectives marks a seminal contribution to the field. This volume, for the first time, presents accessible insights into diverse linguistics subdisciplines, inviting international scholars to familiarise themselves with Afrikaans language studies. Throughout much of the late 19th and 20th centuries, Afrikaans scholars predominantly communicated in Afrikaans, resulting in a significant gap in the dissemination of knowledge about the language. The chapters in this book, written by prominent South Africans, as well as international scholars working in the field of Afrikaans, serve as a pivotal bridge, by providing essential historical context while also paying attention to the development of Afrikaans linguistics during the 20th century. The primary focus remains on illuminating 21st century research trajectories, offering a comprehensive snapshot of contemporary scholarship in Afrikaans linguistics.

The MIHI EST construction
The MIHI EST construction

Author: Mihaela Ilioaia

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2023-12-18

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 3111055469

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This book examines the Romanian mihi est construction (Mi-e foame/frică, me.dat = is hunger/fear ‘I am hungry/ afraid’). While it disappeared from all other Romance languages to be replaced with a habeo structure, the mihi est pattern is in Romanian the most common way of expressing psychological or physiological states. By means of synchronic and diachronic corpus studies, the book investigates the status of the core arguments of the mihi est structure, i.e. the dative experiencer and the nominative state noun, as well as its evolution throughout the centuries. The data analysis reveals that the dative experiencer syntactically behaves like nominative subjects, whereas the state noun shows predicate behavior. As for the evolution of the mihi est structure, the analysis shows a certain tendency toward innovation, since in present-day Romanian it can coerce nouns coming from other semantic fields into the construction’s psychological or physiological interpretation. Could this be another unique trait of Romanian, which causes it to seemingly go against the tendency of most Romance languages toward canonical marking of core arguments?

Modality in Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics
Modality in Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics

Author: Werner Abraham

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-09-17

Total Pages: 455

ISBN-13: 1107021227

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An innovative survey that covers the linguistic questions of modality and mood, offering a new model for the phenomenon.

Variation and Evolution
Variation and Evolution

Author: Sandro Sessarego

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Published: 2020-08-11

Total Pages: 287

ISBN-13: 9027260893

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This book is a collection of original studies analyzing how different internal and external factors affect Spanish language variation and evolution across a number of (socio)linguistic scenarios. Its primary goal is to expand our understanding of how native and non-native varieties of Spanish co-exist with other languages and dialects under the influence of several linguistic and extra-linguistic forces. While some papers analyze the linguistic dynamics affecting Spanish grammars from a cross-dialectal perspective, others focus more closely on the relations established between Spanish and other languages with which it is in contact. In particular, some of these studies show how power and prestige may support (or not) the use of Spanish in different social contexts and educational realities, given that the attitudes toward this language vary greatly across the Spanish-speaking world. On the one hand, in some regions, Spanish represents the variety spoken by the majority of the population, typically related to prestige and power (Spain and Latin America). On the other hand, in other contexts, the same language is conceived as a minority variety, which may or may not be associated with stigmatized immigrant groups (i.e., in the US).

Thoughts on grammaticalization
Thoughts on grammaticalization

Author: Christian Lehmann

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand

Published: 2024-05-23

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 3946234062

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"Thoughts on grammaticalization" was first published in a working-paper version in 1982 and became very influential immediately, even though it was properly published only in 1995. Despite its modest title, the book can be read as an advanced introduction to grammaticalization, though its conception is very original. The present edition contains a number of corrections of the 1995 edition. After a short review of the history of research, the work introduces and delimits the concepts related to grammaticalization. It then provides extensive exemplification of grammaticalization phenomena in diverse languages, ordered by grammatical domains such as the verbal, pronominal and nominal sphere and clause level relations. The final chapter presents a theory of grammaticalization which is based on the autonomy of the linguistic sign with respect to the paradigmatic and syntagmatic axes. This is the basis of the structural parameters that constitute grammaticalization. They are operationalized to the point of rendering degrees of grammaticalization measurable.

Defective Paradigms
Defective Paradigms

Author: Matthew Baerman

Publisher: British Academy

Published: 2010-05-20

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13:

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Deponency and Morphological Mismatches edited by Matthew Baerman, Greville G. Corbett, Dunstan Brown & Andrew Hippisley --

Pathways of Change
Pathways of Change

Author: Olga Fischer

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2000-01-01

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 9789027230560

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There is a continual growth of interest among linguists of all-theoretical denominations in grammaticalization, a concept central to many linguistic (change) theories. However, the discussion of grammaticalization processes has often suffered from a shortage of concrete empirical studies from one of the best-documented languages in the world, English. Pathways of Change contains discussion of new data and provides theoretical lead articles based on these data that will help sharpen the theoretical aspects involved, such as the definition and the logical connection of the component processes of grammaticalization. The volume is concentrated around a number of themes that are important or controversial in grammaticalization studies, such as the principle of unidirectionality, the relation between lexicalization and grammaticalization — and connected with these two factors the possibility of degrammaticalization — the way iconicity interweaves with grammaticalization processes, and with the phenomenon of grammaticalization on a synchronic or discourse level, also often termed subjectifization.

Indo-European Linguistics
Indo-European Linguistics

Author: Michael Meier-Brügger

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 414

ISBN-13: 9783110174335

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This textbook is designed as an introduction to the field. It presents current topics and questions in Indo-European linguistics in a clear and informative manner.