Subjects and universal grammar : an explanatory theory / Yehuda N. Falk.
"The 'subject' of sentence is a concept that presents great challenges to linguists. Most languages have something which looks like a subject, but subjects differ across languages in their nature and properties, making them an interesting phenomena for those seeking linguistic univers...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Ebook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge, UK ; New York :
Cambridge University Press,
2006.
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| Series: | Cambridge studies in linguistics ;
113. |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Cambridge Books on Core Contributor biographical information |
| Summary: | "The 'subject' of sentence is a concept that presents great challenges to linguists. Most languages have something which looks like a subject, but subjects differ across languages in their nature and properties, making them an interesting phenomena for those seeking linguistic universals. This pioneering volume takes a new approach to subjects, addressing their nature from a simultaneously formal and typological perspective. Dividing the subject into two distinct grammatical functions, it shows how the nature of the these functions explains their respective properties, and argues that the split in properties shown in 'ergative' languages (whereby the subject of intransitive verbs is marked like an object), results from the functions being assigned to different elements of the clause. Drawing on data from a typologically wide variety of languages, and examining a range of constructions, this book explains why, even in the case of very different languages, certain core properties can be found."--Jacket. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (xix, 237 pages). |
| Format: | Mode of access: World Wide Web. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 0511241291 9780511241291 0511241798 9780511241796 0511242239 9780511242236 051148626X 9780511486265 1280567945 9781280567940 |
| DOI: | 10.1017/CBO9780511486265 |