This book is a functional-typological study of possession splits in European languages. It shows that genetically and structurally diverse languages such as Icelandic, Welsh, and Maltese display possessive systems which are sensitive to semantically based distinctions reminiscent of the alienability correlation. These distinctions are grammatically relevant in many European languages because they require dedicated constructions. What makes these split possessive systems interesting for the linguist is the interaction of semantic criteria with pragmatics and syntax. Neutralisation of distinctions occurs under focus. The same happens if one of the constituents of a possessive construction is syntactically heavy. These effects can be observed in the majority of the 50 sample languages. Possessive splits are strong in those languages which are outside the Standard Average European group. The bulk of the European languages do not behave much differently from those non-European languages for which possession splits are reported. The book reveals interesting new facts about European languages and possession to typologists, universals researchers, and areal linguists.
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Offers a functional-typological study of possession splits in European languages. This book shows that genetically and structurally diverse languages such as Icelandic, Welsh, and Maltese display possessive systems which are sensitive to semantically based distinctions reminiscent of the alienability correlation.
Les mer
1. Preface; 2. List of abbreviations; 3. Part A: What needs to be known beforehand; 4. Chapter 1. Introduction; 5. Chapter 2. Prerequisites; 6. Chapter 3. Split possession; 7. Part B: Tour d'Europe; 8. Chapter 4. Grammatical possession splits; 9. Chapter 5. Further evidence of possession splits in Europe; 10. Part C: On European misfits and their commonalities; 11. Chapter 6. Results; 12. Notes; 13. Sources; 14. References; 15. Additional background literature; 16. Index of languages; 17. Index of authors; 18. Index of subjects
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9789027205681
Publisert
2008-05-21
Utgiver
Vendor
John Benjamins Publishing Co
Vekt
1130 gr
Høyde
245 mm
Bredde
164 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet