The Synchrony and Diachrony of the Balkan Infinitive: A Study in Areal, General and Historical Linguistics (Cambridge Studies in Linguistics) - Hardcover

Joseph, Brian D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521273188 ISBN 13: 9780521273183

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1983

Synopsis

This study offers a comprehensive and illuminating account of one of the characteristics shared to some degree by the languages of the Balkan peninsula - Greek, Albanian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian and Romanian - namely the loss of the infinitive and its replacement by finite verb forms. Dr Joseph meticulously examines the documentary evidence for this loss and, in the light of his findings, many of the oversimplifications, misinterpretations and omissions in earlier accounts are rectified. Many of the issues raised in his discussion, for example how 'infinitive' or 'finiteness' should be defined, have important implications for synchronic syntactic theory and description. In addition, the study is of significance for diachronic linguistics, for it makes a valuable contribution to the debate on constraining possible syntactic changes and syntactic borrowing. This study will also offer insights to linguistics interested in areal typology, since it is one of the fullest accounts available.

About this title

Book Description

This study offers a comprehensive and illuminating account of one of the characteristics shared to some degree by the languages of the Balkan peninsula - Greek, Albanian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian and Romanian - namely the loss of the infinitive and its replacement by finite verb forms.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1983
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521273188
• ISBN 13: 9780521273183
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 355