Differential Subject Marking - Couverture rigide

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1402064985 ISBN 13 : 9781402064982

Editeur : Springer-Verlag New York Inc., 2008

Synopsis

Although (almost) all sentences have subjects, not all sentences encode their subjects in the same way. Some languages overtly mark some subjects, but not others, depending on certain features of the subject argument or the sentence in which the subject figures. This phenomenon is known as Differential Subject Marking (DSM). Languages differ in which conditions govern DSM. Some languages differentiate their subjects on the basis of semantic features of the argument such as thematic role, volitionality, animacy, whereas others differentiate on the basis of clausal features such as tense/aspect and the main/dependent clause distinction. DSM comes in different formal guises: case marking, agreement, inverse systems, and voice alternations.

Relatively much is known about cross-linguistic variation in the marking of subjects, yet little attempt has been made to formalize the facts. This volume aims to unify formal approaches to language and presents both specific case studies of DSM and theoretical approaches.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

Containing illuminating discussions of Differential Subject Marking (DSM) from languages all over the world, this book shows that DSM is often the result of interactions between conflicting constraints on language use.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
• Date d'édition: 2008
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1402064985
• ISBN 13: 9781402064982
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 318
• Éditeur: De Hoop Helen, De Swart Peter
• Coordonnées du fabricant: Springer-Verlag GmbH; customerservice@springernature.com; ; Tiergartenstraße 17; Heidelberg; Baden-Württemberg; 69121; Allemagne