Overview

This collection of papers offers an alternative to mainstream functional linguistics on two points. Especially American lingusitics, function and structure is often understood as being only a matter of linguistic form - or expression - as opposed to content. The book tries to illustrate why function and structure must be understood as mutually dependent on relation to language - and why the most interesting aspect of language structure is the way it structures the content side of language. In this, the book represents a reaffirmation of traditional concerns in structural linguistics, especially with respect to the structural integrity of individual languages - but with a reversal of traditional priority: structure is not autonomous, but must be understood on the basis of function. Without being hostile to typological and universal generalizations, the articles suggest that similarities between languages can only be discussed on the basis of an understanding that includes a respect for language differences.

Full Product Details

Author:   Elisabeth Engberg-Pedersen (University of Copenhagen) ,  Michael Fortescue (University of Copenhagen) ,  Peter Harder (University of Copenhagen) ,  Lars Heltoft (University of Copenhagen)
Publisher:   John Benjamins Publishing Co
Imprint:   John Benjamins Publishing Co
Volume:   29
Dimensions:   Width: 16.40cm , Height: 3.20cm , Length: 24.50cm
Weight:   0.810kg
ISBN:  

9789027230324

ISBN 10:   9027230323
Pages:   510
Publication Date:   24 May 1996
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

1. Introduction; 2. Is there a passive in Nahuatl? (by Canger, Una); 3. Grammaticalized focus in Yukagir: Is it really grammaticalized and is it really focus? (by Fortescue, Michael); 4. Iconic motivations in conflict: Language-specific structure and influence from the medium (by Engberg-Pedersen, Elisabeth); 5. The syntax of Danish verbs: Lexical and syntactic transitivity (by Durst-Andersen, Per); 6. From lexical potential to syntactic realization: A Danish verb valency model (by Rasmussen, Lone Schack); 7. Danish directional adverbs: Content syntax and complex predicates - a case for host and co-predicates (by Harder, Peter); 8. Danish passives and subject positions as a mood system: A content analysis (by Heltoft, Lars); 9. Information structure and the anatomy of the noun phrase: The expression of subject and object in Danish noun phrases (by Baron, Irene); 10. Topic continuity and prosody: An experimental study in Danish (by Kristiansen, Erik); 11. Discourse particles in Danish (by Davidsen-Nielsen, Niels); 12. Eh bien: Marker of comparison and contrast (by Mosegaard Hansen, Maj-Britt); 13. The degrammaticalization of agentivity in Tlapanec (by Wichmann, Soren); 14. The functions of locative prepositions (by Spang-Hanssen, Ebbe); 15. Communicative function and language-specific structure in second language acquisition: A discussion of natural sequences of acquisition (by Lund, Karen); 16. Theoretical considerations; 17. Linguistic structure in a functional grammar (by Harder, Peter); 18. Iconicity and arbitrariness (by Engberg-Pedersen, Elisabeth); 19. Paradigmatic structure, word order and grammaticalization (by Heltoft, Lars); 20. Subject index; 21. Index of names

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