Since its first publication, Language Universals and Linguistic Typology has become established as the leading introductory account of one of the most productive areas of linguistics—the analysis, comparison, and classification of the common features and forms of the organization of languages. Adopting an approach to the subject pioneered by Greenberg and others, Bernard Comrie is particularly concerned with syntactico-semantic universals, devoting chapters to word order, case making, relative clauses, and causative constructions. His book is informed throughout by the conviction that an exemplary account of universal properties of human language cannot restrict itself to purely formal aspects, nor focus on analysis of a single language. Rather, it must also consider language use, relate formal properties to testable claims about cognition and cognitive development, and treat data from a wide range of languages. This second edition has been revised and updated to take full account of new research in universals and typology in the past decade, and more generally to consider how the approach advocated here relates to recent advances in generative grammatical theory.
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About the Author
Bernard Comrie is chair of the department of linguistics at the University of Southern California. He is the author of many publications including Aspect and Tense, and is editor of Studies in Language.
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29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A magnificent introduction and reference.,
By Paul Bennett (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Language Universals and Linguistic Typology: Syntax and Morphology (Paperback)
Along with Paynes "Describing Morphosyntax" (ISBN: 0521588057), this book will help any student -- or entertain any enthusiast --of languages or linguistics. It treats various types of syntactic theory in a manner that (rarely among such useful works) is clear, engaging and (in places) enthralling. While drawing on the familiar "old standards" for grammatic comparison (Russian, Dyirbal, Yakut, Hikxaryana, Japanese, etc), the way comparisons are drawn between systems reveals isomorphisms and patterns that are certainly elegant and perhaps beautiful. Comrie has, as ever, produced a thing of wonder.
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In this chapter, a number of general issues relating to the study of language universals are considered, and a particular approach to language universals research is advocated, in contrast to other possibilities. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
distinct reflexive forms, knjigu danas, language univerals, special accusative case, language universals research, human noun phrases, equi type, given grammatical relation, verb agreement affixes, possessed noun phrase, word order typology, holistic typology, forming relative clauses, morphological typology, inanimate noun phrases, postnominal relative clauses, word order parameters, typological parameters, case marking system, areal contact, animacy hierarchy, simplex sentences, logically possible types, primary concomitant, third person reflexives Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Ancient Greek, Classical Arabic, Imbabura Quechua, Modern Greek, New Guinea, Classical Latin, West Indonesian New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
In this chapter, a number of general issues relating to the study of language universals are considered, and a particular approach to language universals research is advocated, in contrast to other possibilities. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
distinct reflexive forms, knjigu danas, language univerals, special accusative case, language universals research, human noun phrases, equi type, given grammatical relation, verb agreement affixes, possessed noun phrase, word order typology, holistic typology, forming relative clauses, morphological typology, inanimate noun phrases, postnominal relative clauses, word order parameters, typological parameters, case marking system, areal contact, animacy hierarchy, simplex sentences, logically possible types, primary concomitant, third person reflexives Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Ancient Greek, Classical Arabic, Imbabura Quechua, Modern Greek, New Guinea, Classical Latin, West Indonesian New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 8
books:
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19
books
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- Imbabura Quechua (Croom Helm Descriptive Grammars) by Peter Cole on page 164, and Back Matter
- The Slavic Languages (Cambridge Language Surveys) by Roland Sussex in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Syntax and Semantics by John P. Kimball in Back Matter
- Typology and Universals (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics) by William Croft on page 33
- Roots of Language by Derek Bickerton in Back Matter
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- An Introduction to Sociolinguistics (Wiley Desktop Editions) by Ronald Wardhaugh in Back Matter
- Ring of Liberation: Deceptive Discourse in Brazilian Capoeira by J. Lowell Lewis in Back Matter
- Ethnosyntax: Explorations in Grammar and Culture (Oxford Linguistics) by N. J. Enfield on page 199
- An Introduction to Sociolinguistics (Blackwell Textbooks in Linguistics) by Ronald Wardhaugh in Back Matter
- Grammaticalization (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics) by Paul J. Hopper in Back Matter
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