On Reconstructing Grammar Comparative Cariban Morphosyntax

Gildea, Spike

ISBN 10: 019510952X / ISBN 13: 9780195109528

Published by Oxford University Press, New York & Oxford, 1998

Seller Inventory # 60499

Synopsis:

Gildea has two goals in this book, first to argue that grammaticalization theory has advanced to the point that it can be used with the comparative method to reconstruct the grammar of Proto-Languages; and second to give a detailed case study of this methodology in examining the typologically interesting Cariban language family in South America -- a group of languages which has provided counterexamples to a number of proposed typological universals of morphosyntax. His conclusions challenge a long-standing tradition which asserts that syntax cannot be reconstructed. It will interest linguists working on South American languages as well as on grammaticalization, and linguists working in the descriptive or functional traditions.

Synopsis: This text has two goals: first to argue that grammaticalization theory has advanced to the point that it can be used with the comparative method to reconstruct the grammar of Proto-Languages; and second to give a detailed case study of this methodology in examining the typologically interesting Cariban language family in South America - a group of languages which linguists claim have a technically impossible syntactic structure. His conclusions answer long-standing questions about the historical reconstruction of grammar and will interest linguists working on South American languages as well as on grammaticalization, and linguists working in the descriptive or functional traditions.

Bibliographic Details

Title: On Reconstructing Grammar Comparative ...
Publisher: Oxford University Press, New York & Oxford
Publication Date: 1998
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good+
Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket
Edition: First Edition.