Evolutionary Syntax
Series: Oxford Studies in the Evolution of Language; 20;
- Publisher's listprice GBP 120.00
-
54 180 Ft (51 600 Ft + 5% VAT)
The price is estimated because at the time of ordering we do not know what conversion rates will apply to HUF / product currency when the book arrives. In case HUF is weaker, the price increases slightly, in case HUF is stronger, the price goes lower slightly.
- Discount 10% (cc. 5 418 Ft off)
- Discounted price 48 762 Ft (46 440 Ft + 5% VAT)
Subcribe now and take benefit of a favourable price.
Subscribe
54 180 Ft
Availability
printed on demand
Why don't you give exact delivery time?
Delivery time is estimated on our previous experiences. We give estimations only, because we order from outside Hungary, and the delivery time mainly depends on how quickly the publisher supplies the book. Faster or slower deliveries both happen, but we do our best to supply as quickly as possible.
Product details:
- Publisher OUP Oxford
- Date of Publication 4 June 2015
- ISBN 9780198736547
- Binding Hardback
- No. of pages280 pages
- Size 239x162x24 mm
- Weight 580 g
- Language English 0
Categories
Short description:
Ljiljana Progovac proposes a gradualist, adaptationist approach to the evolution of syntax, subject to natural selection. The book provides a specific framework for studying the evolution of syntax, combining the fields of evolutionary biology, theoretical syntax, typology, neuroscience, and genetics.
MoreLong description:
This is an open access publication, available online and distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), a copy of which is available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. Subject to this license, all rights are reserved
In this book, Ljiljana Progovac proposes a gradualist, adaptationist approach to the evolution of syntax, subject to natural selection. She provides a specific framework for its study, combining the fields of evolutionary biology, theoretical syntax, typology, neuroscience, and genetics. The author pursues an internal reconstruction of the stages of grammar based on the syntactic theory associated with Chomskyan Minimalism and arrives at specific, testable hypotheses, which are then corroborated by an abundance of theoretically analysed 'living fossils' drawn from a variety of languages. Her approach demonstrates that these fossil structures do not just coexist alongside more modern structures, but are in fact built into the very foundation of more complex structures, leading to quirks and complexities that are suggestive of a gradualist evolutionary scenario. By reconstructing a particular path along which syntax evolved, Evolutionary Syntax sheds light on the crucial properties of language design itself, as well as on the major parameters of crosslinguistic variation. As a result, this reconstruction can be meaningfully correlated with both the hominin timeline and the ever-growing body of genetic evidence that is available.
Evolutionary Syntax is a major contribution to the literature. It offers a novel gradualist account of the evolution of syntax, grounded in a thorough consideration of a range of linguistic phenomena. This is essential reading for anyone interested in the origin and evolution of the human capacity for language.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The small (clause) beginnings
The intransitive two-word stage: Absolutives, unaccusatives, and middles as precursors to transitivity
Parataxis and coordination as precursors to hierarchy: Evolving recursive grammars
Islandhood (subjacency) as an epiphenomenon of evolutionary tinkering
Exocentric VN compounds: The best fossils
The plausibility of natural selection for syntax
Conclusion
Appendix: Testing Grounds: Neuroimaging
