18.433, Review: General Linguistics: Parkvall (2006)

[LINGUIST Network]

LINGUIST List: Vol-18-433. Thu Feb 08 2007. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 18.433, Review: General Linguistics: Parkvall (2006)

Moderators: Anthony Aristar, Eastern Michigan U <aristar at linguistlist.org>
            Helen Aristar-Dry, Eastern Michigan U <hdry at linguistlist.org>
 
Reviews: Laura Welcher, Rosetta Project / Long Now Foundation  
         <reviews at linguistlist.org> 

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org/

The LINGUIST List is funded by Eastern Michigan University, Wayne
State University, and donations from subscribers and publishers.

Editor for this issue: Laura Welcher <laura at linguistlist.org>
================================================================  

This LINGUIST List issue is a review of a book published by one of our
supporting publishers, commissioned by our book review editorial staff. We
welcome discussion of this book review on the list, and particularly invite
the author(s) or editor(s) of this book to join in. To start a discussion of
this book, you can use the Discussion form on the LINGUIST List website. For
the subject of the discussion, specify "Book Review" and the issue number of
this review. If you are interested in reviewing a book for LINGUIST, look for
the most recent posting with the subject "Reviews: AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW", and
follow the instructions at the top of the message. You can also contact the
book review staff directly.


===========================Directory==============================  

1)
Date: 08-Feb-2007
From: Alejandrina Cristia < acristia at purdue.edu >
Subject: Limits of Language 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Thu, 08 Feb 2007 02:28:26
From: Alejandrina Cristia < acristia at purdue.edu >
Subject: Limits of Language 
 


Announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/17/17-2205.html 

AUTHOR(S): Parkvall, Mikael
TITLE: Limits of Language
SUBTITLE: Almost everything you didn't know you didn't know about language
and languages
PUBLISHER: Battlebridge
YEAR: 2006

Alejandrina Cristia, Linguistics, Purdue University.

SUMMARY

Limits of Language comprises a collection of facts, comments and
speculations on nearly every aspect of language, from morphology to
sociolinguistics. Instead of attempting an impossible summary, I have
included the detailed index, which provides a sense of the variety of
topics discussed, as an appendix to this review.

In each section at least a dozen examples of language-related uses and
stories, as well as odd characteristics of particular languages are put
forth. For instance, the diverse subsections of 'Language learning'
comprise notes on how feral children have (not) learned to speak;
surprising (and sometimes unsettling) sentences from phrasebooks, such as
'Put your hands over your head!' (from a Somali phrasebook) (p. 113); and
short biographies of famous polyglots. 

The book also abounds in tables, maps and graphs. For example, the 17 pages
of 'big and small languages' include 15 tables (for instance, detailing an
estimation of the total number of first- and second-language speakers of
languages that have a high proportion of second-language users), five
graphs (such as one representing the top ten languages used in films), and
two maps schematizing the geographic spread of some languages. There are
also numerous pictures, including one of the three degrees of lip rounding
in Scandinavian languages, as demonstrated by a native speaker (p. 211).


EVALUATION

Limits of Language was intended as a ''Guinness Book'' of languages and
linguistics, with the dual aim of showing some fascinating aspects of
languages to a wider readership as well as serving as a reference book for
linguists where they can determine the limits of language. Having shared
some of the book with a few non-linguists, I trust the first goal was met.
Limits of Language is an enjoyable and informative cruise around the
world's languages. But for the linguistic audience, the question remains --
has the second objective been met?

First of all, it should be noted that -- as Parkvall himself acknowledges
-- a book containing data on over a thousand languages is bound to contain
some mistakes. However, if readers should be skeptical of or curious about
any one statement, they can follow up on the carefully detailed sources at
the end of each section. 

Nevertheless, I believe it is not as much the particular facts presented
that will mesmerize the linguistic audience. In fact, one could argue that,
within each linguistic subdiscipline, what is considered extreme depends on
one's theoretical viewpoint. The author takes note of this, pointing out
when a particular statement is the matter of debate (e.g. whether
Marshallese has 3 or 24 vowels; p. 211). Thus, one may happily exercise
one's linguistic dogmatism by dissecting such assertions, with a view to
reducing the kaleidoscopic complexity sometimes attributed to particular
language systems. While one can disagree with some of the statements made
in the book, it is impossible to ignore the richness of languages, of
Language perhaps, reflected in this text.

This richness and diversity emerges, page after page, illuminating the
multifaceted nature of Language, which is subject to the pressures of
history, society, the human body and mind. Linguists, each working on a
tiny portion of this fabulously intricate construct, have only begun to
unravel it. Limits of Language should serve as a reminder of all those
aspects we necessarily disregard in our daily work. Fortunately, the
reminder comes in the form of a great book.

APPENDIX:  Table of Contents

Language in society
     Language variation and registers for special occasions
     Language geography
     Language as a legal matter
     Language planning
     Using more than one language
     Languages in contact
     Language death and revival
Big and small languages
Language history
     Language change
     Language families
     Spectacular spread
     Language in alternate history
Written language
Signed languages
Language learning
      Learning your first language
      Second-language learning
      Polyglots
Non-humans and language
Artificial languages
Forensic linguistics
Popular conceptions
      The subjective approach
      Language myths
Language and identity
      Pragmatics
      Language and gender
Lexicon
      How many words are there?
      Long and short words
      Having a word for it
      Dictionaries
      Common words
      Coining new words
      Colour terms
      Personal names
      Place names
      Glossonyms
Speech sounds
       Consonants
       Vowels and diphthongs
       Syllable structure
       Suprasegmentals
Architecture of languages
       Parts of speech
       Verbs
       Nouns
       Adjectives
       Adverbs
       Adpositions
       Articles
       Demonstratives
       Personal pronouns
       Numerals
       Negation
       Case
       Gender and noun classes
       Number 
       Tense, mood and aspect
       Voice
       Morphology
       Suppletion
       Sentences
Linguists and their discipline
       Linguistics departments
       Most studied languages
       Experimentation in linguistics
       Some work that didn't stand the test of time
       Linguists
       Linguistic terminology
       Classic example sentences
       The linguist's guide to the galaxy
The Linguist's calendar 

ABOUT THE REVIEWER


Alejandrina Cristia is a Ph.D. student of linguistics at Purdue University.
Her research interests include the contribution of universal grammar to
language acquisition, especially in the area of phonology. 




-----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-18-433