Applicative Constructions in the World’s Languages
Author | : Fernando Zuniga |
Publisher | : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG |
Total Pages | : 1100 |
Release | : 2024-01-29 |
ISBN-10 | : 9783110730951 |
ISBN-13 | : 3110730952 |
Rating | : 4/5 (51 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: This book presents a state-of-the-art cross-linguistic survey of applicative constructions in the functional-typological tradition. An introductory section sets the terminological and analytical stage, presents the methodology used by the different chapters, and provides a typological outlook. The individual contributions address the morphological, syntactic and semantic variation of applicatives, as well as their discourse-pragmatic function. They cover all major language families and some isolates that feature some illuminating version of the phenomenon, paying special attention to language-internal variation and unity. The phenomena surveyed range from those instances usually considered canonical (valency-increasing, syntactically and semantically predictable, productive, dedicated, and optional) to those occasionally understudied in descriptive works and frequently neglected in comparative studies (valency-neutral, rather unpredictable, lexicalized, syncretic, and/or obligatory).