Number

ISBN-13: 9780521649704 / Angielski / Miękka / 2001 / 380 str.

Greville G. Corbett

Opis

Number is the most underestimated of the grammatical categories. It is deceptively simple yet distinctions in number (as in cat versus cats ) vary considerably from language to language. Some languages, for instance, make more distinctions than English, having three, four or even five different values. This book draws on examples from many languages to analyze the possibilities and reveals that the world's linguistic resources are richer than even many linguists realize. It is intended for linguistic students and teachers and is an ideal entry to linguistic typology.

Recenzje

'Number is an area of morphosyntactic typology that has often been taken for granted by linguistic researchers. In this comprehensive typological survey, Corbett convincingly shows that the complexity and diversity of number systems in the languages of the world far surpasses what is commonly assumed.' Thomas E. Payne, The Linguist

Spis treści

Introduction; 1. Introduction; 2. Meaning distinctions; 3. Items involved in the Nominal Number System; 4. Integrating number values and the Animacy Hierarchy; 5. The expression of number; 6. The syntax of number; 7. Other uses of number; 8. Verbal number; 9. Conclusion and new challenges.