Rarely Used Structures and Lesser-Studied Languages

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000693198
Total Pages : 191 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (6 download)

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Book Synopsis Rarely Used Structures and Lesser-Studied Languages by : Emily Manetta

Download or read book Rarely Used Structures and Lesser-Studied Languages written by Emily Manetta and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-08-29 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book investigates a set of marginal syntactic structures which have been singularly influential in the development of generative theory, spotlighting lesser-studied languages of the Indic family while emphasizing implications for linguistic theory more broadly. After first defining what constitutes a marginal syntactic structure, this book then undertakes a micro-comparative approach to the rigorous exploration of fundamental properties of human language, including displacement, ellipsis, unbounded dependencies, and the role of clausal peripheries in such languages as Kashmiri and Romani. In so doing, Manetta interrogates and ultimately affirms the relevance of marked and marginal strings which have proven to be crucial to generative syntax while simultaneously advocating for the role of lesser-studied languages to the study of such properties. This book is key reading for graduate students and researchers in linguistics and syntax more specifically, as well as those interested in the study of Indic languages.

Language Engineering for Lesser-studied Languages

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Author :
Publisher : IOS Press
ISBN 13 : 1586039547
Total Pages : 344 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (86 download)

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Book Synopsis Language Engineering for Lesser-studied Languages by : Sergei Nirenburg

Download or read book Language Engineering for Lesser-studied Languages written by Sergei Nirenburg and published by IOS Press. This book was released on 2009 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Technologies enabling computers to process specific languages facilitate economic and political progress of societies where these languages are spoken. Development of methods and systems for language processing is therefore a worthy goal for national governments as well as for business entities and scientific and educational institutions in every country in the world. As work on systems and resources for the 'lower-density' languages becomes more widespread, an important question is how to leverage the results and experience accumulated by the field of computational linguistics for the major languages in the development of resources and systems for lower-density languages. This issue has been at the core of the NATO Advanced Studies Institute on language technologies for middle- and low-density languages held in Georgia in October 2007. This publication is a collection - of publication-oriented versions - of the lectures presented there and is a useful source of knowledge about many core facets of modern computational-linguistic work. By the same token, it can serve as a reference source for people interested in learning about strategies that are best suited for developing computational-linguistic capabilities for lesser-studied languages - either 'from scratch' or using components developed for other languages. The book should also be quite useful in teaching practical system- and resource-building topics in computational linguistics."--Site Web de l'éditeur.

Information Structure in Lesser-described Languages

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Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing Company
ISBN 13 : 9027263817
Total Pages : 458 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (272 download)

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Book Synopsis Information Structure in Lesser-described Languages by : Evangelia Adamou

Download or read book Information Structure in Lesser-described Languages written by Evangelia Adamou and published by John Benjamins Publishing Company. This book was released on 2018-08-02 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The articles compiled in this volume offer new insights into the wealth of prosodic and syntactic phenomena involved in the encoding of information structure categories. They present data from languages which are rarely, if ever, taken into account in the most prominent approaches in information structure theory, and which belong to the Afroasiatic, Amerindian, Australian, Caucasian, and Niger-Congo language stocks. In addition to the significant descriptive value of these pioneering contributions, several studies also draw attention to previously undescribed or typologically rare phenomena. By adapting a variety of methods to under-described and endangered languages, ranging from experimental to naturalistic corpus studies, this volume also aims to serve as an invitation for further research in this direction.

Syntactic Structures

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Author :
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN 13 : 3112316002
Total Pages : 120 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (123 download)

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Book Synopsis Syntactic Structures by : Noam Chomsky

Download or read book Syntactic Structures written by Noam Chomsky and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2020-05-18 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No detailed description available for "Syntactic Structures".

Perspectives on Information Structure in Austronesian Languages

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781013291920
Total Pages : 436 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (919 download)

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Book Synopsis Perspectives on Information Structure in Austronesian Languages by : Atsuko Utsumi

Download or read book Perspectives on Information Structure in Austronesian Languages written by Atsuko Utsumi and published by . This book was released on 2020-10-09 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Information structure is a relatively new field to linguistics and has only recently been studied for smaller and less described languages. This book is the first of its kind that brings together contributions on information structure in Austronesian languages. Current approaches from formal semantics, discourse studies, and intonational phonology are brought together with language specific and cross-linguistic expertise of Austronesian languages. The 13 chapters in this volume cover all subgroups of the large Austronesian family, including Formosan, Central Malayo-Polynesian, South Halmahera-West New Guinea, and Oceanic. The major focus, though, lies on Western Malayo-Polynesian languages. Some chapters investigate two of the largest languages in the region (Tagalog and different varieties of Malay), others study information-structural phenomena in small, underdescribed languages. The three overarching topics that are covered in this book are NP marking and reference tracking devices, syntactic structures and information-structural categories, and the interaction of information structure and prosody. Various data types build the basis for the different studies compiled in this book. Some chapters investigate written texts, such as modern novels (cf. Djenar's chapter on modern, standard Indonesian), or compare different text genres, such as, for example, oral narratives and translations of biblical narratives (cf. De Busser's chapter on Bunun). Most contributions, however, study natural spoken speech and make use of spoken corpora which have been compiled by the authors themselves. The volume comprises a number of different methods and theoretical frameworks. Two chapters make use of the Question Under Discussion approach, developed in formal semantics (cf. the chapters by Latrouite & Riester; Shiohara & Riester). Riesberg et al. apply the recently developed method of Rapid Prosody Transcription (RPT) to investigate native speakers' perception of prosodic prominences and boundaries in Papuan Malay. Other papers discuss theoretical consequences of their findings. Thus, for example, Himmelmann takes apart the most widespread framework for intonational phonology (ToBI) and argues that the analysis of Indonesian languages requires much simpler assumptions than the ones underlying the standard model. Arka & Sedeng ask the question how fine-grained information structure space should be conceptualized and modelled, e.g. in LFG. Schnell argues that elements that could be analysed as "topic" and "focus" categories, should better be described in terms of 'packaging' and do not necessarily reflect any pragmatic roles in the first place. This work was published by Saint Philip Street Press pursuant to a Creative Commons license permitting commercial use. All rights not granted by the work's license are retained by the author or authors.

Language Usage and Language Structure

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Author :
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter
ISBN 13 : 3110219174
Total Pages : 369 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (12 download)

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Book Synopsis Language Usage and Language Structure by : Kasper Boye

Download or read book Language Usage and Language Structure written by Kasper Boye and published by Walter de Gruyter. This book was released on 2010 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Addresses an issue hotly debated in the linguistic theory: the relation between language usage and language structure

Structure of Language

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Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Structure of Language by : Janet Townend

Download or read book Structure of Language written by Janet Townend and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2006-02-17 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This accessible text is split into 2 halves. Initially, Janet Townend takes the reader through the early development and the structure and usage of spoken English. In the second half Jean Walker explains the history and structure of written English, including word formation and grammar. It is unusual to find both aspects of this fascinating area of human activity combined in one volume. These insights form an essential foundation for teachers, student teachers, teacher trainers, and specialists in special needs and literacy. It will be of interest to all who speak and write, and are involved in helping others to do so. Janet Townend trained as a speech and language therapist and Jean Walker as an English teacher. Both are now specialist teachers and trainers in the field of dyslexia, literacy and language.

Deconstructing Ergativity

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190614129
Total Pages : 417 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (96 download)

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Book Synopsis Deconstructing Ergativity by : Maria Polinsky

Download or read book Deconstructing Ergativity written by Maria Polinsky and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016-04-12 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nominative-accusative and ergative are two common alignment types found across languages. In the former type, the subject of an intransitive verb and the subject of a transitive verb are expressed the same way, and differently from the object of a transitive. In ergative languages, the subject of an intransitive and the object of a transitive appear in the same form, the absolutive, and the transitive subject has a special, ergative, form. Ergative languages often follow very different patterns, thus evading a uniform description and analysis. A simple explanation for that has to do with the idea that ergative languages, much as their nominative-accusative counterparts, do not form a uniform class. In this book, Maria Polinsky argues that ergative languages instantiate two main types, the one where the ergative subject is a prepositional phrase (PP-ergatives) and the one with a noun-phrase ergative. Each type is internally consistent and is characterized by a set of well-defined properties. The book begins with an analysis of syntactic ergativity, which as Polinsky argues, is a manifestation of the PP-ergative type. Polinsky discusses diagnostic properties that define PPs in general and then goes to show that a subset of ergative expressions fit the profile of PPs. Several alternative analyses have been proposed to account for syntactic ergativity; the book presents and outlines these analyses and offers further considerations in support of the PP-ergativity approach. The book then discusses the second type, DP-ergative languages, and traces the diachronic connection between the two types. The book includes two chapters illustrating paradigm PP-ergative and DP-ergative languages: Tongan and Tsez. The data used in these descriptions come from Polinsky's original fieldwork hence presenting new empirical facts from both languages.

The World Atlas of Language Structures

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Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199255911
Total Pages : 712 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (992 download)

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Book Synopsis The World Atlas of Language Structures by : Martin Haspelmath

Download or read book The World Atlas of Language Structures written by Martin Haspelmath and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2005-07-21 with total page 712 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The World Atlas of Language Structures is a book and CD combination displaying the structural properties of the world's languages. 142 world maps and numerous regional maps - all in colour - display the geographical distribution of features of pronunciation and grammar, such as number of vowels, tone systems, gender, plurals, tense, word order, and body part terminology. Each world map shows an average of 400 languages and is accompanied by a fully referenced description ofthe structural feature in question.The CD provides an interactive electronic version of the database which allows the reader to zoom in on or customize the maps, to display bibliographical sources, and to establish correlations between features. The book and the CD together provide an indispensable source of information for linguists and others seeking to understand human languages.The Atlas will be especially valuable for linguistic typologists, grammatical theorists, historical and comparative linguists, and for those studying a region such as Africa, Southeast Asia, North America, Australia, and Europe. It will also interest anthropologists and geographers. More than fifty authors from many different countries have collaborated to produce a work that sets new standards in comparative linguistics. No institution involved in language research can afford to bewithout it.

Perspectives on information structure in Austronesian languages

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Author :
Publisher : Language Science Press
ISBN 13 : 3961101086
Total Pages : 440 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (611 download)

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Book Synopsis Perspectives on information structure in Austronesian languages by : Sonja Riesberg

Download or read book Perspectives on information structure in Austronesian languages written by Sonja Riesberg and published by Language Science Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Information structure is a relatively new field to linguistics and has only recently been studied for smaller and less described languages. This book is the first of its kind that brings together contributions on information structure in Austronesian languages. Current approaches from formal semantics, discourse studies, and intonational phonology are brought together with language specific and cross-linguistic expertise of Austronesian languages. The 13 chapters in this volume cover all subgroups of the large Austronesian family, including Formosan, Central Malayo-Polynesian, South Halmahera-West New Guinea, and Oceanic. The major focus, though, lies on Western Malayo-Polynesian languages. Some chapters investigate two of the largest languages in the region (Tagalog and different varieties of Malay), others study information-structural phenomena in small, underdescribed languages. The three overarching topics that are covered in this book are NP marking and reference tracking devices, syntactic structures and information-structural categories, and the interaction of information structure and prosody. Various data types build the basis for the different studies compiled in this book. Some chapters investigate written texts, such as modern novels (cf. Djenar’s chapter on modern, standard Indonesian), or compare different text genres, such as, for example, oral narratives and translations of biblical narratives (cf. De Busser’s chapter on Bunun). Most contributions, however, study natural spoken speech and make use of spoken corpora which have been compiled by the authors themselves. The volume comprises a number of different methods and theoretical frameworks. Two chapters make use of the Question Under Discussion approach, developed in formal semantics (cf. the chapters by Latrouite & Riester; Shiohara & Riester). Riesberg et al. apply the recently developed method of Rapid Prosody Transcription (RPT) to investigate native speakers’ perception of prosodic prominences and boundaries in Papuan Malay. Other papers discuss theoretical consequences of their findings. Thus, for example, Himmelmann takes apart the most widespread framework for intonational phonology (ToBI) and argues that the analysis of Indonesian languages requires much simpler assumptions than the ones underlying the standard model. Arka & Sedeng ask the question how fine-grained information structure space should be conceptualized and modelled, e.g. in LFG. Schnell argues that elements that could be analysed as “topic” and “focus” categories, should better be described in terms of ‘packaging’ and do not necessarily reflect any pragmatic roles in the first place.

Mental States: Language and cognitive structure

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Author :
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9789027231031
Total Pages : 392 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (31 download)

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Book Synopsis Mental States: Language and cognitive structure by : Andrea C. Schalley

Download or read book Mental States: Language and cognitive structure written by Andrea C. Schalley and published by John Benjamins Publishing. This book was released on 2007 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The contributions to this volume focus on what language and language use reveals about cognitive structure and underlying cognitive categories. Wide-ranging and thought-provoking essays from linguists and psychologists within this volume investigate the insights conceptual categorization can give into the organization and structure of the mind and specific mental states. Topics and linguistic phenomena discussed include narratives and story telling, language development, figurative language, linguistic categorization, linguistic relativity, and the linguistic coding of mental states such as perceptions and beliefs. With contributions at the forefront of current debate, this book will appeal to anyone with an interest in language and the cognitive structures that support it.

Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 202 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (118 download)

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Book Synopsis Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition by : Stephen D. Krashen

Download or read book Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition written by Stephen D. Krashen and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Encyclopedia of Language Development

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Publisher : SAGE Publications
ISBN 13 : 1483346439
Total Pages : 785 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (833 download)

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Book Synopsis Encyclopedia of Language Development by : Patricia J. Brooks

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Language Development written by Patricia J. Brooks and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2014-03-28 with total page 785 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The progression from newborn to sophisticated language user in just a few short years is often described as wonderful and miraculous. What are the biological, cognitive, and social underpinnings of this miracle? What major language development milestones occur in infancy? What methodologies do researchers employ in studying this progression? Why do some become adept at multiple languages while others face a lifelong struggle with just one? What accounts for declines in language proficiency, and how might such declines be moderated? Despite an abundance of textbooks, specialized monographs, and a couple of academic handbooks, there has been no encyclopedic reference work in this area--until now. The Encyclopedia of Language Development covers the breadth of theory and research on language development from birth through adulthood, as well as their practical application. Features: This affordable A-to-Z reference includes 200 articles that address such topic areas as theories and research tradition; biological perspectives; cognitive perspectives; family, peer, and social influences; bilingualism; special populations and disorders; and more. All articles (signed and authored by key figures in the field) conclude with cross reference links and suggestions for further reading. Appendices include a Resource Guide with annotated lists of classic books and articles, journals, associations, and web sites; a Glossary of specialized terms; and a Chronology offering an overview and history of the field. A thematic Reader’s Guide groups related articles by broad topic areas as one handy search feature on the e-Reference platform, which includes a comprehensive index of search terms. Available in both print and electronic formats, Encyclopedia of Language Development is a must-have reference for researchers and is ideal for library reference or circulating collections.

The Handbook of Historical Linguistics, Volume II

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Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1118732219
Total Pages : 712 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (187 download)

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Book Synopsis The Handbook of Historical Linguistics, Volume II by : Richard D. Janda

Download or read book The Handbook of Historical Linguistics, Volume II written by Richard D. Janda and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-10-06 with total page 712 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An entirely new follow-up volume providing a detailed account of numerous additional issues, methods, and results that characterize current work in historical linguistics. This brand-new, second volume of The Handbook of Historical Linguistics is a complement to the well-established first volume first published in 2003. It includes extended content allowing uniquely comprehensive coverage of the study of language(s) over time. Though it adds fresh perspectives on several topics previously treated in the first volume, this Handbook focuses on extensions of diachronic linguistics beyond those key issues. This Handbook provides readers with studies of language change whose perspectives range from comparisons of large open vs. small closed corpora, via creolistics and linguistic contact in general, to obsolescence and endangerment of languages. Written by leading scholars in their respective fields, new chapters are offered on matters such as the origin of language, evidence from language for reconstructing human prehistory, invocations of language present in studies of language past, benefits of linguistic fieldwork for historical investigation, ways in which not only biological evolution but also field biology can serve as heuristics for research into the rise and spread of linguistic innovations, and more. Moreover, it: offers novel and broadened content complementing the earlier volume so as to provide the fullest available overview of a wholly engrossing field includes 23 all-new contributed chapters, treating some familiar themes from fresh perspectives but mostly covering entirely new topics features expanded discussion of material from language families other than Indo-European provides a multiplicity of views from numerous specialists in linguistic diachrony. The Handbook of Historical Linguistics, Volume II is an ideal book for undergraduate and graduate students in linguistics, researchers and professional linguists, as well as all those interested in the history of particular languages and the history of language more generally.

Grammatical gender and linguistic complexity I

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Author :
Publisher : Language Science Press
ISBN 13 : 3961101787
Total Pages : 350 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (611 download)

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Book Synopsis Grammatical gender and linguistic complexity I by : Francesca Di Garbo

Download or read book Grammatical gender and linguistic complexity I written by Francesca Di Garbo and published by Language Science Press. This book was released on with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The many facets of grammatical gender remain one of the most fruitful areas of linguistic research, and pose fascinating questions about the origins and development of complexity in language. The present work is a two-volume collection of 13 chapters on the topic of grammatical gender seen through the prism of linguistic complexity. The contributions discuss what counts as complex and/or simple in grammatical gender systems, whether the distribution of gender systems across the world’s languages relates to the language ecology and social history of speech communities. Contributors demonstrate how the complexity of gender systems can be studied synchronically, both in individual languages and over large cross-linguistic samples, and diachronically, by exploring how gender systems change over time. In addition to three chapters on the theoretical foundations of gender complexity, volume one contains six chapters on grammatical gender and complexity in individual languages and language families of Africa, New Guinea, and South Asia. This volume is complemented by volume two, which consists of three chapters providing diachronic and typological case studies, followed by a final chapter discussing old and new theoretical and empirical challenges in the study of the dynamics of gender complexity.

The Handbook of Historical Linguistics, Volume II

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Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 111873226X
Total Pages : 640 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (187 download)

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Book Synopsis The Handbook of Historical Linguistics, Volume II by : Richard D. Janda

Download or read book The Handbook of Historical Linguistics, Volume II written by Richard D. Janda and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-09-15 with total page 640 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An entirely new follow-up volume providing a detailed account of numerous additional issues, methods, and results that characterize current work in historical linguistics. This brand-new, second volume of The Handbook of Historical Linguistics is a complement to the well-established first volume first published in 2003. It includes extended content allowing uniquely comprehensive coverage of the study of language(s) over time. Though it adds fresh perspectives on several topics previously treated in the first volume, this Handbook focuses on extensions of diachronic linguistics beyond those key issues. This Handbook provides readers with studies of language change whose perspectives range from comparisons of large open vs. small closed corpora, via creolistics and linguistic contact in general, to obsolescence and endangerment of languages. Written by leading scholars in their respective fields, new chapters are offered on matters such as the origin of language, evidence from language for reconstructing human prehistory, invocations of language present in studies of language past, benefits of linguistic fieldwork for historical investigation, ways in which not only biological evolution but also field biology can serve as heuristics for research into the rise and spread of linguistic innovations, and more. Moreover, it: offers novel and broadened content complementing the earlier volume so as to provide the fullest available overview of a wholly engrossing field includes 23 all-new contributed chapters, treating some familiar themes from fresh perspectives but mostly covering entirely new topics features expanded discussion of material from language families other than Indo-European provides a multiplicity of views from numerous specialists in linguistic diachrony. The Handbook of Historical Linguistics, Volume II is an ideal book for undergraduate and graduate students in linguistics, researchers and professional linguists, as well as all those interested in the history of particular languages and the history of language more generally.

Sign Languages

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429665148
Total Pages : 216 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (296 download)

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Book Synopsis Sign Languages by : Joseph C. Hill

Download or read book Sign Languages written by Joseph C. Hill and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-01-10 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sign Languages: Structures and Contexts provides a succinct summary of major findings in the linguistic study of natural sign languages. Focusing on American Sign Language (ASL), this book: offers a comprehensive introduction to the basic grammatical components of phonology, morphology, and syntax with examples and illustrations; demonstrates how sign languages are acquired by Deaf children with varying degrees of input during early development, including no input where children create a language of their own; discusses the contexts of sign languages, including how different varieties are formed and used, attitudes towards sign languages, and how language planning affects language use; is accompanied by e-resources, which host links to video clips. Offering an engaging and accessible introduction to sign languages, this book is essential reading for students studying this topic for the first time with little or no background in linguistics.