New Book from Benjamins: Penke/Rosenbach: What Counts as Evidence in Linguistics

Fri May 30 19:46:37 UTC 2008

This is new functionally-relevant book from John Benjamins Publishing:

What Counts as Evidence in Linguistics

The case of innateness

Cover image

Edited by Martina Penke and Anette Rosenbach
Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf

<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_seriesview.cgi?series=BCT>Benjamins 
Current Topics 7
URL: http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_bookview.cgi?bookid=BCT%207
2007. x, 297 pp.
Hardbound 978 90 272 2237 4 / EUR 95.00 / USD 143.00
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?t=u&copies=1&edition=0&bookid=BCT%207>
[]

What counts as evidence in linguistics? This question is addressed by 
the contributions to the present volume (originally published as a 
Special Issue of Studies in Language 28:3 (2004). Focusing on the 
innateness debate, what is illustrated is how formal and functional 
approaches to linguistics have different perspectives on linguistic 
evidence. While special emphasis is paid to the status of typological 
evidence and universals for the construction of Universal Grammar 
(UG), this volume also highlights more general issues such as the 
roles of (non)-standard language and historical evidence. To address 
the overall topic, the following three guiding questions are raised: 
What type of evidence can be used for innateness claims (or UG)?; 
What is the content of such innate features (or UG)?; and, How can UG 
be used as a theory guiding empirical research? A combination of 
articles and peer commentaries yields a lively discussion between 
leading representatives of formal and functional approaches.

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Table of contents

Preface
vii–ix
What counts as evidence in linguistics? An introduction
Martina Penke and Anette Rosenbach
1–49
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=904109180>Typological 
evidence and Universal Grammar
Frederick J. Newmeyer
51–73
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=61109181>Remarks 
on the relation between language typology and Universal Grammar: 
Commentary on Newmeyer
Mark Baltin
75–79
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=338109182>Does 
linguistic explanation presuppose linguistic description?
Martin Haspelmath
81–107
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=456109183>Remarks 
on description and explanation in grammar: Commentary on Haspelmath
Judith Aissen and Joan Bresnan
109–112
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=629109184>Author's 
response
Martin Haspelmath
113–115
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=862109185>From 
UG to Universals: Linguistic adaptation through iterated learning
Simon Kirby, Kenny Smith and Henry Brighton
117–138
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=10109186>Form, 
meaning and speakers in the evolution of language: Commentary on 
Kirby, Smith and Brighton
William Croft
139–142
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=163109187>Author's 
response
Simon Kirby, Kenny Smith and Henry Brighton
143–145
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=421109188>Why 
assume UG?
Dieter Wunderlich
147–174
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=540109189>What 
kind of evidence could refute the UG hypothesis? Commentary on Wunderlich
Michael Tomasello
175–178
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=650109190>Author's 
response: Is there any evidence that refutes the UG hypothesis?
Dieter Wunderlich
179–180
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=781109191>A 
question of relevance: Some remarks on standard languages
Helmut Weiß
181–208
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=12109192>The 
Relevance of Variation: Remarks on Weiß's Standard-Dialect-Problem
Horst J. Simon
209–213
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=112109193>Author's 
response
Helmut Weiß
215–216
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=239109194>Universals, 
innateness and explanation in second language acquisition
Fred R. Eckman
217–239
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=349109195>'Internal' 
versus 'external' universals: Commentary on Eckman
Lydia White
241–243
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=456109196>Author's 
response: 'External' universals and explanation in SLA
Fred R. Eckman
245–248
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=438109197>What 
counts as evidence in historical linguistics?
Olga Fischer
249–281
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=540109198>Abstraction 
and performance: Commentary on Fischer
David W. Lightfoot
283–286
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=BCT%207&artid=650109199>Author's 
response
Olga Fischer
287–289
Index
291–297

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Subject classification

<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_cat_list.cgi?cat=LIN>
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<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_cat_list.cgi?cat=LIN> Linguistics
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_catview.cgi?cat=LIN&subcat=SYNTAX>
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<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_catview.cgi?cat=LIN&subcat=SYNTAX> Syntax
<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_catview.cgi?cat=LIN&subcat=THEOR>
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<http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_catview.cgi?cat=LIN&subcat=THEOR> 
Theoretical linguistics

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