Noun Phrases In Australian Languages

Download or read book Noun Phrases in Australian Languages written by Dana Louagie and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2019-11-18 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a first comprehensive typological analysis of noun phrases in Australian languages, covering the domains of classification, qualification, quantification, determination and constituency. The analysis is based on a representative sample of 100 languages. Among other points, the results call into question the classic idea that Australian languages tend to lack phrasal structures in the nominal domain, with over two thirds of the languages showing evidence for phrasehood. Moreover, it is argued that it may be more interesting to typologise languages on the basis of where and how they allow phrasal structure, rather than on the basis of a yes-no answer to the question of constituency. The analysis also shows that a determiner slot can be identified in about half of the languages, even though they generally lack 'classic' determiner features like obligatory use in particular contexts or a restriction to one determiner per NP. Special attention is given to elements, which can be used both inside and beyond determiner slots, demonstrating how part of speech and functional structure do not always align. The book is of interest to researchers documenting Australian languages, as well as to typologists and theorists.

Download or read book Noun Phrases in Australian Languages written by Dana Louagie and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2019-11-18 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a first comprehensive typological analysis of noun phrases in Australian languages, covering the domains of classification, qualification, quantification, determination and constituency. The analysis is based on a representative sample of 100 languages. Among other points, the results call into question the classic idea that Australian languages tend to lack phrasal structures in the nominal domain, with over two thirds of the languages showing evidence for phrasehood. Moreover, it is argued that it may be more interesting to typologise languages on the basis of where and how they allow phrasal structure, rather than on the basis of a yes-no answer to the question of constituency. The analysis also shows that a determiner slot can be identified in about half of the languages, even though they generally lack 'classic' determiner features like obligatory use in particular contexts or a restriction to one determiner per NP. Special attention is given to elements, which can be used both inside and beyond determiner slots, demonstrating how part of speech and functional structure do not always align. The book is of interest to researchers documenting Australian languages, as well as to typologists and theorists.

Download or read book Australian Aboriginal Grammar (RLE Linguistics F: World Linguistics) written by Barry Blake and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study covers a number of topics that are prominent in the grammars of Australian Aboriginal languages, especially ergativity and manifestations of the hierarchy that runs from the speech-act participants down to inanimates. This hierarchy shows up in case marking, number marking and agreement, advancement and cross-referencing. Chapter 1 provides an overall picture of Australian languages. Chapters 2, 3 and 4 deal with case systems, including voice alternations and other advancements. Chapter 5 deals with the distribution of case marking within the noun phrase. Chapter 6 deals with systems that allow the cross-referencing of bound pronouns. Chapter 7 deals with clauses which appear to have more than one verb. Chapter 8 deals with compound and complex sentences. Chapter 9 deals with word order, and emphasises a theme introduced in Chapter 5, namely the widespread use of discontinuous phrases. Chapter 10 draws together ergativity and various manifestations of the hierarchy, and attempts to interpret their distribution. The final section provides an interesting hypothesis about the evolution of core grammar in Australia.

Download or read book The ‘Noun Phrase’ across Languages written by Tsuyoshi Ono and published by John Benjamins Publishing Company. This book was released on 2020-07-15 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ‘NP’ is one of the least controversial grammatical units that linguists work with. The NP is often assumed to be universal, and appears to be robust cross-linguistically (compared to ‘VP’ or even ‘clause’) in that it can be manipulated in argument positions in constructed examples. Furthermore, for any given language, its internal structure (order and type of modifiers) tends to be relatively fixed. Surprisingly, however, the empirical basis for ‘NP’ has never been established. The chapters in this volume examine the NP in everyday interactions from diverse languages, including little-studied languages as well as better-researched ones, in a variety of interactional settings. Together, these chapters show that cross-linguistically, the category NP is not as robust as has been assumed: in the context of temporally unfolding human interaction, its structural status is constantly negotiated in terms of participants’ evolving social agendas.

Download or read book Language at Large written by Alexandra Aikhenvald and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2011-07-27 with total page 631 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The volume brings together important essays on syntax and semantics by Aikhenvald and Dixon. It focusses on topics in linguistic typology, the analysis of previously undescribed languages and issues in the grammar and lexicography of English.

Download or read book The Languages of Australia written by R. M. W. Dixon and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2011-01-20 with total page 574 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This ground-breaking 1980 study of over 200 Australian languages is still valuable, especially for its non-technical opening chapters.

Download or read book Australian Languages written by R. M. W. Dixon and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2002-11-14 with total page 780 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Professor Dixon presents a comprehensive study of the indigenous languages of Australia.