Language Change, Variation, and Universals

Language Change, Variation, and Universals
ISBN-10
0192634739
ISBN-13
9780192634733
Category
Language Arts & Disciplines
Pages
288
Language
English
Published
2021-08-26
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Author
Peter W. Culicover

Description

This volume explores how human languages become what they are, why they differ from one another in certain ways but not in others, and why they change in the ways that they do. Given that language is a universal creation of the human mind, the puzzle is why there are different languages at all: why do we not all speak the same language? Moreover, while there is considerable variation, in some ways grammars do show consistent patterns: why are languages similar in those respects, and why are those particular patterns preferred? Peter Culicover proposes that the solution to these puzzles is a constructional one. Grammars consist of constructions that carry out the function of expressing universal conceptual structure. While there are in principle many different ways of accomplishing this task, languages are under press to reduce constructional complexity. The result is that there is constructional change in the direction of less complexity, and grammatical patterns emerge that more efficiently reflect conceptual universals. The volume is divided into three parts: the first establishes the theoretical foundations; the second explores variation in argument structure, grammatical functions, and A-bar constructions, drawing on data from a variety of languages including English and Plains Cree; and the third examines constructional change, focusing primarily on Germanic. The study ends with observations and speculations on parameter theory, analogy, the origins of typological patterns, and Greenbergian 'universals'.

Get the book

Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Search the book
eBay.com
eBay.com
Search the book

Other editions

Similar books

  • Linguistic Universals and Language Change
    Linguistic Universals and Language Change
    By Jeff Good

    This book looks at the relationship between linguistic universals and language change.

  • Linguistic Universals and Language Variation
    Linguistic Universals and Language Variation
    By Peter Siemund

    The series publishes state-of-the-art work on core areas of linguistics across theoretical frameworks as well as studies that provide new insights by building bridges to neighbouring fields such as neuroscience and cognitive science.

  • Variation and Universals in Biolinguistics
    Variation and Universals in Biolinguistics
    By Lyle Jenkins

    Jenkins has succeeded in putting together a terrific volume. Some of the most creative minds in the fields tackle questions of utmost importance in biolinguistics. The clarity with which these...

  • Variation and Change in Spanish
    Variation and Change in Spanish
    By Ralph Penny, Ralph John Penny

    Patiño Rosselli , Carlos , 1983. ' El habla en el palenque de San Basilio ' , in Lengua y sociedad en el palenque de San Basilio , ed . Nina S. de Friedeman and Carlos Patiño Rosselli ( Bogotá : ICC ) , pp . 88–140 .

  • Linguistic Universals and Language Change
    Linguistic Universals and Language Change
    By Jeff Good

    (2) Acquisition, variation Change Language use Typological generalizations In its more conservative forms, this program sees historical explanation as a kind of supplement or corrective to the formal theory of grammar.

  • Grammaticalization Scenarios: Cross-Linguistic Variation and Universal Tendencies
    Grammaticalization Scenarios: Cross-Linguistic Variation and Universal Tendencies
    By Valentina Sparks

    This book explores all the important aspects of grammaticalization in the present day scenario. It includes some of the vital pieces of work being conducted across the world, on various topics related to this process.

  • Explanation in typology: Diachronic sources, functional motivations and the nature of the evidence
    Explanation in typology: Diachronic sources, functional motivations and the nature of the evidence
    By Karsten Schmidtke-Bode, Natalia Levshina, Susanne Maria Michaelis

    This volume provides an up-to-date discussion of a foundational issue that has recently taken centre stage in linguistic typology and which is relevant to the language sciences more generally: To what extent can cross-linguistic ...

  • The Handbook of Linguistics
    The Handbook of Linguistics
    By Janie Rees-Miller, Mark Aronoff

    "The first edition of this Handbook is built on surveys by well-known figures from around the world and around the intellectual world, reflecting several different theoretical predilections, balancing coverage of enduring questions and ...

  • Linguistic Variation in the Minimalist Framework
    Linguistic Variation in the Minimalist Framework
    By M. Carme Picallo

    Leading scholars in the field tackle a variety of current issues in linguistic variation from a minimalist perspective, including the role of parameters, the significance of syntactic factors in language variation, and the conditions ...

  • The Oxford Handbook of Universal Grammar
    The Oxford Handbook of Universal Grammar
    By Ian G. Roberts

    'Phonological rule change: The constant rate effect,' in S. Kan, C. Moore-Cantwell, and R. Staubs (eds.) ... 'Facing the logical problem of language evolution: Review of Jenkins (2004),' Variation & universals in biolinguistics,' English ...