The Linguistics of Punctuation

The Linguistics of Punctuation

Author: Geoffrey Nunberg

Publisher: Center for the Study of Language (CSLI)

Published: 1990-09

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 9780937073469

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Geoffrey Nunberg challenges a widespread assumption that the linguistic structure of written languages is qualitatively identical to that of spoken language: It should no longer be necessary to defend the view that written language is truly language, but it is surprising to learn of written-language category indicators that are realized by punctuation marks and other figural devices.' He shows that traditional approaches to these devices tend to describe the features of written language exclusively by analogy to those of spoken language, with the result that punctuation has been regarded as an unsystematic and deficient means for presenting spoken-language intonation. Analysed in its own terms, however, punctuation manifests a coherent linguistic subsystem of 'text-grammar' that coexists in writing with the system of 'lexical grammar' that has been the traditional object of linguistic inquiry. A detailed analysis of the category structure of English text-sentences reveals a highly systematic set of syntactic and presentational rules that can be described in terms independent of the rules of lexical grammar and are largely matters of the tacit knowledge that writers acquire without formal instruction. That these rules obey constraints that are structurally analogous to those of lexical grammar leads Nunberg to label the text-grammar an 'application' of the principles of natural language organization to a new domain. Geoffrey Nunberg is a researcher at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center.


Linguistics

Linguistics

Author: Bruce Hayes

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2013-04-19

Total Pages: 762

ISBN-13: 1118670914

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Linguistics: An Introduction to Linguistic Theory is a textbook, written for introductory courses in linguistic theory for undergraduate linguistics majors and first-year graduate students, by twelve major figures in the field, each bringing their expertise to one of the core areas of the field - morphology, syntax, semantics, phonetics, phonology, and language acquisition. In each section the book is concerned with discussing the underlying principles common to all languages, showing how these are revealed in language acquisition and in the specific grammars of the world's languages.


Linguistics: A Complete Introduction: Teach Yourself

Linguistics: A Complete Introduction: Teach Yourself

Author: David Hornsby

Publisher: Teach Yourself

Published: 2014-07-25

Total Pages: 278

ISBN-13: 1444180347

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Written by David Hornsby, who is a current Linguistics lecturer and researcher at the University of Kent, Linguistics - The Essentials is designed to give you everything you need to succeed, all in one place. It covers the key areas that students are expected to be confident in, outlining the basics in clear jargon-free English, and then providing added value features like summaries of key books, and even lists of questions you might be asked in your seminar or exam. The book uses a structure that mirrors many university courses on linguistics - with separate chapters focusing on linguistic thought, syntax, sound systems, morphology, semantics, pragmatics, language acquisition, and much more.


Linguistics for Everyone

Linguistics for Everyone

Author: Kristin E. Denham

Publisher: Cengage Learning

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781111836603

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LINGUISTICS FOR EVERYONE, 2E, International Edition connects the study of linguistics to the language you use every day. The text is very user-friendly: casual writing style, logical presentation of material, balance of theoretical and practical, entertaining information, and lots of ideas and activities to put what you learn to use right away. The first chapter gives you the basics such as how to define language, new ways to look at grammar, your innate knowledge about language. Later chapters address core linguistics areas in depth (phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics). Many innovative and varied activities help you review and practice the content and apply the knowledge immediately. Special features throughout the book demystify common curiosities about how language works.


Lecture Notes on Applied Linguistics

Lecture Notes on Applied Linguistics

Author: Ali Alhaj

Publisher: Anchor Academic Publishing

Published: 2015-12-01

Total Pages: 106

ISBN-13: 3954894025

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Linguistics can be defined as "the scientific study of a language – any language – by virtue of description and analysis" – a major concept, introduced by the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure(1857-1913), one of the pioneering early exponents of modern linguistics. According to him: "the one and the only correct subject of linguistics is language, which involves in itself for the sake of itself" (Al-Saaran: 1962, p.49). Some enormous attempts were made by Dr. Mohamoud Al-Sa'aran to explain and interpret F.D. Saussure's working words on linguistics in this context, as he points out: "The researcher of a language studies a language for its sake. Also she/he studies it as it appears, without any oscillation. The researcher has no right to confine herself/himself to explaining and investigating only one aspect of a language, by reason of her//his highly commendation and to abandon the other attempts to explore the other aspect of language recklessly and wildly, because of her/his disapproval and disapprobation , as well as her//his frivolity of it. Furthermore, she/ he acts according to her/his own desire or for any other reason" (Ibid, p.51). On his turn, Al-Sa'aran also explains the working words of F.D. Saussure "for its own sake", by saying that: "the researcher studies language objectively in order to explore and probe its reality. She/he does not aim at achieving, for instance, either pedagogical objectives or any working goals. Fittingly, the researcher does not study language in order to enhance and to correct one of its aspects or to make any other amendments on it. But, she/he has to confine herself/himself to describing and analyzing language objectively" (Ibid, p.51).


Language and Linguistics

Language and Linguistics

Author: John Lyons

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1981-05-29

Total Pages: 374

ISBN-13: 1139935658

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This 1981 book is a general introduction to linguistics and the study of language, intended particularly for beginning students and readers with no previous knowledge or training in the subject. There is first a general account of the nature of language and of the aims, methods and basic principles of linguistic theory. John Lyons then introduces in turn each of the main sub-fields of linguistics: the sounds of language, grammar, semantics, language change, psycholinguistics: the sounds of language, grammar, semantics, language change, psycholinguistics, language and culture. Throughout the book he emphasizes particularly those aspects of the discipline that seem fundamental and most likely to remain important. He stresses throughout the cultural at least as much as the biological context of human language, and shows how the linguist's concerns connect productively with those of the traditional humanities and the social sciences. Each chapter has a wide-ranging set of discussion questions and revision exercises, and extensive suggestions for further reading. The exposition is marked throughout by the author's characteristic clarity, balance and authority.


An Introduction to Linguistic Typology

An Introduction to Linguistic Typology

Author: Viveka Velupillai

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 540

ISBN-13: 9027211981

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Offers an introduction to linguistic typology that covers various linguistic domains from phonology and morphology over parts-of-speech, the NP and the VP, to simple and complex clauses, pragmatics and language change. This title also includes a discussion on methodological issues in typology.


The Explanation of Linguistic Causes

The Explanation of Linguistic Causes

Author: Kees Versteegh

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 1995-05-11

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 9027276382

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The ultimate aim of every linguistic tradition is to go beyond the purely descriptive level and seek an explanation for linguistic phenomena. Traditions differ, however, with regard to the class of linguistic phenomena they wish to explain and the framework in which they define their explanation. In this volume the English translation is presented of the treatise on linguistic explanation by the 10th-century Arab grammarian az-Zağğāğī, one of the most original thinkers of the Arabic tradition. He worked in a period in which the influence of Greek logic and philosophy made itself felt in almost all Arabo-Islamic disciplines. Some of the problems he deals with are familiar to modern linguists (e.g., morphological segmentation, categorization of parts of speech), others are comprehensible only within the frame of reference of Arabic linguistics (e.g., the declension of the verb). An extensive commentary on the text analyzes the problems discussed, both within the Arabic tradition and from the point of view of modern linguistics. Apart from the index of names and terms, there is an index of subjects which enables the general reader to consult text and comments on specific key notions.