24.3145, Review: Applied Linguistics; General Linguistics: Heine & Narrog (2012)

[linguist at linguistlist.org]

LINGUIST List: Vol-24-3145. Mon Aug 05 2013. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 24.3145, Review: Applied Linguistics; General Linguistics: Heine & Narrog (2012)

Moderator: Damir Cavar, Eastern Michigan U <damir at linguistlist.org>

Reviews: Veronika Drake, U of Wisconsin Madison
Monica Macaulay, U of Wisconsin Madison
Rajiv Rao, U of Wisconsin Madison
Joseph Salmons, U of Wisconsin Madison
Mateja Schuck, U of Wisconsin Madison
Anja Wanner, U of Wisconsin Madison
       <reviews at linguistlist.org>

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org

Do you want to donate to LINGUIST without spending an extra penny? Bookmark
the Amazon link for your country below; then use it whenever you buy from
Amazon!

USA: http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=linguistlist-20
Britain: http://www.amazon.co.uk/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=linguistlist-21
Germany: http://www.amazon.de/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=linguistlistd-21
Japan: http://www.amazon.co.jp/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=linguistlist-22
Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=linguistlistc-20
France: http://www.amazon.fr/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=linguistlistf-21

For more information on the LINGUIST Amazon store please visit our
FAQ at http://linguistlist.org/amazon-faq.cfm.

Editor for this issue: Rajiv Rao <rajiv at linguistlist.org>
================================================================  

Visit LL's Multitree project for over 1000 trees dynamically generated
from scholarly hypotheses about language relationships:
          http://multitree.linguistlist.org/
					
					

Date: Mon, 05 Aug 2013 10:17:15
From: Seetha Jayaraman [seetha.jay at gmail.com]
Subject: The Oxford Handbook of Linguistic Analysis

E-mail this message to a friend:
http://linguistlist.org/issues/emailmessage/verification.cfm?iss=24-3145.html&submissionid=12195756&topicid=9&msgnumber=1
 
Discuss this message: 
http://linguistlist.org/pubs/reviews/get-review.cfm?subid=12195756


Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/23/23-5006.html

EDITOR: Bernd  Heine
EDITOR: Heiko  Narrog
TITLE: The Oxford Handbook of Linguistic Analysis
SERIES TITLE: Oxford Handbooks
PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press
YEAR: 2012

REVIEWER: Seetha Jayaraman, Dhofar University

SUMMARY

“The Oxford Handbook of Linguistic Analysis”, edited by Bernd Heine and Heiko
Narrog, is a large volume consisting of thirty three chapters on different
approaches to linguistic analysis related to morphological, syntactic,
semantic and morpho-phonological categories. It has a total of 1016 pages,
which includes a list of abbreviations, a brief account of the contributors,
an introduction to the volume by the editors, all articles, an extensive list
of references, and an exhaustive index of languages, names and subjects
treated in the volume. The references are particularly impressive in that they
comprise a small booklet covering almost all the subfields of linguistics. The
volume also provides a reference on recent developments in the interpretation
of linguistic theories and discusses the salient features of these theories.
Supplementary sources to the readings are made available on the website
www.linguistics.ucla.edu./faciliti/sales/software.htm.

Chapter 1, “Introduction”, by the editors Bernd Heine and Heiko Narrog, begins
with the definition of ‘sound’ and the distinction between ‘sound’ and
‘language’. The chapter discusses how languages evolve, presenting the goals,
approaches, models, programs and theories dealt with in language taxonomy,
along with the orientation and the place of linguistic analysis in this field
of research. The interplay among the domains of language structure, linguistic
categories, their typologies, synchronic versus diachronic phenomena, and the
sociolinguistic criteria affecting these phenomena are explained in order to
familiarize the reader with the range of subjects which are discussed in the
rest of the volume.

Chapter 2, “The Adaptive Approach to Grammar”, by Talmy Givón, outlines
approaches adaptable to syntactic representations, grammar, structure and
functions, mental models in the interpretation of rules, and developments in
adapting grammar as a tool of human communication. It also discusses the
typological diversity which exists across different languages and theoretical
perspectives on grammatical description. Although many strategies can be
adapted, the functional and typological approach to grammar helps to better
explain language in its communicational, cognitive, neuro-biological and
anthropological aspects.

Chapter 3, “The Cartography of Syntactic Structures”, by Guglielmo Cinque and
Luigi Rizzi, provides insights into the cartography of syntactic structures.
This chapter addresses drawing structural maps for all possible syntactic
configurations of sentences, and also includes methodologies and evidence
which can be used in describing functional projections. The differences
between cartography and minimalism, and the hierarchy between syntax and
semantics, are highlighted. Although syntax is constrained by semantics, it is
flexible enough to extend the scope beyond meaning. This is because syntax is
organized to express meaning, but it neither dissolves into the mere
organization of meaningful units to express meanings, nor minimizes the
meaning.

Chapter 4, “ Categorial Grammar”, by Glyn Morrill, gives an account of the
complexity of categorical grammar by using Lambeck calculus to deal with
symmetry in linguistic analysis involving multiple arguments in syntactic
structures. The processes involved in Basic Discontinuous Lambek Calculus
(BDLS) (Morrill and Fadda 2008) and Typed Lambda Calculus (TLC) using a
variable binding operator (the ƛ) to name functions are all discussed. BDLS
forms the basis of functional programming languages. Type-logical semantics is
another category discussed which is associated with derivational and lexical
semantics.

Chapter 5, “Cognitive Grammar”, by Ronald W. Langacker, continues the
discussion on contextualizing interacting processes in the cognitive and
sociocultural aspects of language structure, conceptual semantics, symbolic
grammar and of presenting structures and expressing meaning. The author
justifies the point that language description using the Cognitive Grammar
(CG) framework can be applied to a wide range of phenomena in different
languages and has implications for dealing with a variety of classic problems
like passive “raising” conclusions and pronominal anaphora. It is further
argued that CG has the methodological merits of being restrictive while also
achieving significant conceptual unification. Above all, CG relies on well
known or easily demonstrated cognitive phenomena in explaining many aspects of
semantics and grammar. Finally, an important application of CG is in the field
of language pedagogy and lexicography

The next chapter, “Embodied Construction Grammar”, by Jerome Feldman, Ellen
Dodge and John Bryant, introduces Embodied Construction Grammar (ECG) and its
scientific basis for the underlying Neural Theory of Language (NTL) and
Cognitive Linguistics (CG). This chapter focuses on form-meaning relations at
all levels of language use, and extends its analysis to include morphology and
semiotics. The ideas are also extendable to speech, intonation and gesture.
The analysis takes into consideration some conceptual and grammatical
primitives in linguistic studies, and language learning, like emotional and
social factors.

Chapter 7, “Sign-Based Construction Grammar”, by Laura A. Michaelis, analyzes
Sign-based Construction Grammar (SBCG), as well as its history and formal
architecture. The explanations center around syntactic constructions involving
argument structure and verbal complementation patterns. The topics treated are
core and periphery interleafing during production and unmapped constructions,
based on the foundation of the Chomskyan theory of Universal Grammar (UG).

Chapter 8, “Corpus-Based and Corpus-Driven Analyses of Language Variation and
Use”, by Douglas Biber, mentions that while a corpus-based approach aims to
discover new systematic patterns which govern the use of linguistic features,
a corpus-driven approach aims to account for variation with respect to corpus
evidence, drawing from recurring patterns of language in context.
Corpus-driven analyses assume the existence of word forms, as in the case of
identifying frequent word sequences based on the frequency of occurrence and
distributional criteria. This chapter also deals with the interdependence of
lexis, grammar and meaning in the analysis of Pattern Grammar. The last
section is devoted to a discussion of the linguistic dimension of register
variation in language analysis.

Chapter 9, “Default Semantics”, by Kasia M. Jaszczolt, contains an account of
Default Semantics, contextualization, and syntactic constraints on
interpreting utterance meaning. According to the author, meaning is an output
which is a merging of information from five different sources: world
knowledge, word meaning and sentence structure, situation of discourse,
properties of the human inferential system and stereotypes, and presumptions
about society and culture. Another dimension dealt with is the default versus
inferential components of merger representation (Ʃ); these representations in
definite descriptions and the time domain are also detailed.

Chapter 10, “Dependency Grammar and Valency Theory, by Vilmos Ágel and Klaus
Fischer, outlines Dependency Grammar (DG) and Valency Theory (VT) based on
Tesnière’s Structural Syntax and Valency Theory. The authors claim that DG is
a projectionist theory that describes structures based on individual lexemes.
This theory is not restricted to abstract structures, but rather aims to
describe larger samples of natural language. VT investigates the essentials of
language in terms of the universal and individual characteristics of
languages. Extensions and the potential of VT concepts are also discussed,
along with the fundamental, positional and meaning relationships between
complements and arguments.

Chapter 11, “An Emergentist Approach to Syntax”, by William O’Grady, describes
an emergentist approach to syntax based on the mechanisms which account for
syntactic theories of representations referenced in Binding, Control,
Agreement and Coordination. Restrictions with respect to the relationship
between Wh-dependencies and the argument position of verbs or prepositions are
presented. A few questions related to problems seen in language acquisition
and language variation in terms of individual lexical properties are addressed
by drawing examples from English and German.

Chapter 12, “Formal Generative Typology”, by Mark C. Baker, highlights the key
aspects of Formal Generative Typology (FGT). This approach addresses: the
properties of natural human languages and their status as either universal or
vary across languages; whether the aspects of variation are patterned,
systematic and grammatical in nature; and, if some properties are random,
idiosyncratic and lexical in nature. The implication of these aspects about
the origin and the nature of the human mind is discussed with respect to the
complexities of our syntactic systems. Among these are universality and needs
of language acquisition, universality and observing diverse language, and
universals and abstractness based on the assumptions of functionalists and
typologists. The chapter also covers the relationship between different
subfields of linguistics, such as morphology and syntax, and syntax and
pragmatics. The chapter concludes that FGT is a pragmatic and eclectic
approach, combining abstractness with typology in linguistic analysis in order
to account for variation among unrelated languages.

Chapter 13, “A Frames Approach to Semantic Analysis”, by Charles J. Fillmore
and Collin Baker, talks about the distinction between cognitive frames and
frame semantics, associating linguistic forms with cognitive structures in the
interpretation of meaning. A general outline of the process of FrameNet
Lexical analysis, as well as the following steps involved in the process, are
provided: characterizing frames; describing and naming frame elements (Fes);
selecting Lexical Units (LUs); creating annotations of sentences and
generating lexical entries and valence descriptions in order to summarize
observations derived from the analysis. All of these steps create a
frame-based data base that accounts for individual words or phrases and
defines them in terms of the Berkeley FrameNet Project (Fontenelle 2003,
http://framenet.icsi.edu). This FrameNet does not project the direct
representation of LU-LU relationships like hyponymy, synonymy, antonymy or
polysemy. Finally, FrameNets are useful for comparing across languages, and
thus, Spanish FrameNet, Chinese FrameNet and Japanese FrameNet are currently
being developed.

Chapter 14, “Framework-Free Grammatical Theory, by Martin Haspelmath, is a
summary of the framework-free analytical method, which believes in approaching
a description of language without applying an aprioristic, pre-established
framework to it. It is argued that every language must be described based on
its individual structures, which are distinct from other languages. Terms like
framework, format, theory, and grammar are all rejected in favor of concepts
used in the description, teaching and learning of individual features.
Examples from English and German are used to support Haspelmath’s view.

Chapter 15, “Functional Discourse Grammar”, by Kees Hengeveld and J. Lachlan
Mackenzie, introduces Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG), based on the
typological model of language structure, and orients this model within the
field of grammatical theories. The authors deal with four levels of linguistic
organization -- the interpersonal, representational, morphosyntactic and
phonological levels -- and demonstrate the interaction of these levels within
the grammars. Overall, the authors claim that FDG is designed as the
grammatical component of a wider theory of verbal interaction connected to
conceptual, contextual and output components, and is applicable to static and
dynamic data in linguistic analysis.

Chapter 16, “Grammaticalization and Linguistic Analysis”, by Bernd Heine and
Heiko Narrog, discusses the process of grammaticalization, defining the
phenomenon as the “development from lexical to grammatical forms, and from
grammatical to even more grammatical forms”(p. 401). The authors opine that it
is important to draw on typological generalizations in order to understand and
explain structural properties and functional categories of language, when
viewed diachronically. Communicative, cognitive and social aspects are
relevant tools to describe language change and innovations adopted by a speech
community, while grammatical taxonomy and findings on grammaticalization based
on traditional principles of classification are not very appropriate in
arriving at a comprehensive account of grammatical structures.

Chapter 17, “ Lexical-Functional Grammar”, by Ash Asudeh and Ida Toivonen,
explains Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG), developed by Joan Bresnan and Ron
Kaplan in the 1970s, which deals with psychological and computational
tractability of grammatical structure, thus creating a theory which can be the
basis for a realistic model of linguistic learnability and language processing
tractability. This chapter presents an account of two syntactic structures --
Constituent Structure (C-structure) and Functional Structures (F-structure) --
along different syntactic categories. C-structures are represented as phrase
structure trees word order, dominance constituency and syntactic categories,
and F-structures are represented by the grammatical, functional sub-categories
of subject and object, as well as by morphosyntactic information such as case,
agreement features, tense and aspect. F-structures deal with the abstract
syntactic level and C-structures deal with surface realizations. This chapter
also draws a correspondence between the two types of structures, and overall,
provides a useful framework for analyzing language change. Consequently, LFG
can represent both synchronic and diachronic variation.

Chapter 18, “The Natural Semantic Metalanguage Approach”, by Cliff Goddard, is
yet another compelling chapter which offers a different and exhaustive
approach to meaning in linguistic analysis. This approach is unconventional,
systematic, advanced and distributed in its explanation of various phenomena
in different languages, such as lexica, morphology, syntax, prosody and
pragmatics. Appendix A, provided at the end of the chapter, illustrates
semantic primes through examples from Japanese and Russian.

Chapter 19, “Linguistic Minimalism”, by Cedric Boeckx, explores this approach
based on Chomsky’s principles on the nature of the human language faculty. The
author traces the origin of Minimalist Theory to Galilean and Darwinian
Theories, and extends it to the basic properties of language, such as the
creative aspect of language use, or the innate basis of knowledge identified
by rationalists like Descartes and Leibniz in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Chapter 20, “Morphological Analysis”, by Geert E. Booij, deals with
morphological analysis in terms of form-meaning correspondence. The basic
functions of word formation and inflections to create new words, including the
notions of ‘root’ and ‘stem’ with reference to English, are discussed. Lexical
and morphological analyses at the phonological level and the morphology-
phonology interface are focused upon in terms of syllable boundaries,
specifically in relation to morphological boundaries, using Dutch complex word
formation and word stress. The interface between morphology and both semantics
and syntax, and affix ordering form the topics of discussion on the process of
complex word formation and morphological productivity.

Chapter 21, “Optimality Theory in Phonology”, by Maria Gouskova, gives an
overview of Optimality Theory (OT) as a generative phonological theory, and as
a tool for solving issues dealing with constraint interaction in grammar.
Constraints on vowel deletion, geminate simplification and morpheme
concatenation in a few languages like Tonkawa (an extinct language which was
spoken in Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico), English, Russian, Spanish and Czech
are dealt with in detail. The three key components of OT -- CON (universal,
violable constraints), GEN (output parses generated based on input forms) and
EVAL (the component that selects the optimal output(s) -- and the language
specific organization of grammar based on OT are treated elaborately. The role
of OT in explaining lexical input and variation that exists within the grammar
of a language are accounted for by illustrating (de)geminated variants in the
Tonkawa language.

Chapter 22, “Optimization Principles in the Typology of Number and Articles”,
by Henriëtte de Swart and Joost Zwarts, is an extension of the previous
chapter, but shifts the focus to OT as a tool for typological investigations
on, for example, the use of morphological markedness constraints to account
for functional information of nouns (e.g. Funct N, the use of plurality, as
found in Mandarin Chinese, Hindi and Polish). The last section of the chapter
is devoted to the extension of OT to generic reference and nominal structure.
The distinct, cross-linguistic variation in the occurrence of plural
genericity is explained through a constraint ranking incorporating the three
functional aspects of nouns: singular/plural, discourse representation, and
definite/indefinite status.

Chapter 23, “The Parallel Architecture and its Place in Cognitive Science”, by
Ray Jackendoff, demonstrates that Parallel Architecture (PA) is a better mode
of realizing biolinguistic goals than the Minimalist Program, namely because
it is more compatible with linguistic theory and cognitive science. Parallel
Architecture addresses questions on the generative capacity of language using
phonological, syntactic and semantic structures. Another dimension of this
approach relates to the lexicon, in particular, specific proposals about
semantics, phrasal syntax, and interfaces. According to PA, there is “A
correspondence between chunks of phonological, syntactic, and semantic
structures” (p. 589) (unlike traditional grammar rules, which fit a word into
a syntactic structure). The other components of PA are Conceptual Semantics
(CS) and Simpler Syntax (SS), which integrate linguistic theories with meaning
and cognitive science, and offer a better outlook than does the Minimalist
Program.

Chapter 24, “Neo-Gricean Pragmatic Theory of Conversational Implicature”, by
Yan Huang, presents both the dualistic model of Horn and the Trinitarian model
of Levison. It also gives an overview of the role played by Neo-Gricean Theory
in simplifying lexica, semantics and syntax based on Grice’s two classical
theories: (1) Theory of Meaning; and (2) Theory of Conversational Implicature.
Grice emphasized the relationship between natural meaning and non-natural
linguistic meaning of utterances. Levison’s account of conversational
implicature devised complex mechanisms that apply reasoning to interpret and
make correct predictions, and also systematized individual types of
conversational implicatures. Horn’s proposal was based on Q(uantity) and
R(elation) Principles, while Levison’s principles were more simplified along
the metalinguistic, M-Principle. The final section focuses on the
pragmatics-syntax interface, and concerns anaphora and the binding principles
of Chomsky’s feature representation of Noun Phrases (NPs) (Chomsky, 1995).

Chapter 25, “Probabilistic Linguistics”, by Rens Bod, is an account of
probabilistic linguistics and its merits as linguistic evidence in modeling
linguistic phenomena, both in production and perception. According to this
theory, competence is viewed as a set of probabilistically organized memories
of linguistic experiences, and there is one single model (i.e., the phrase
structure tree, or functional attribute value matrix using universal
representation) that explains linguistic experiences.

Chapter 26, “Linguistic Relativity”, by Eric Pederson, unlike earlier
chapters, deals with linguistic relativity as a way of covering all linguistic
studies, and explores the works of earlier researchers, beginning with the
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. Other features focused on are: the relation between
linguistic relativity, language pattern and cognitively driven behavior;
language development and the different domains of research on language and
cognition, such as color, space, time, motion, grammatical gender and number;
logical and arithmetic numbers; and emotions and personality.

Chapter 27, “Relevance Theory”, by FranciscoYus, is an introduction to
Relevance Theory (RT) a cognitive pragmatic theory developed in the mid-80s by
Dan Sperber and Deirdre Wilson. The role of cognition, intention,
coding/inferring and the mutual manifestation of assumptions are the
highlights of the chapter. Within RT, there is a distinction between
semantics/pragmatics and coded/inferred distinctions in the interpretation of
a person’s utterance. Relevance is also measured in terms of a cognitive
cost-benefit procedure. The hearer chooses and selects information which both
reinforces previous assumptions and results in the most effort-relieving
interpretation. According to RT, the two basic steps in interpretation are:
(1) order of accessibility of information; and (2) being able to stop when the
expectation of relevance is satisfied. Another key area discussed in RT is the
explicit/implicit distinction in utterance interpretation and its relation to
grammar and the social aspects of communication, which are discussed briefly,
with empirical evidence.

Chapter 28, “Role and Reference Grammar as a Framework for Linguistic
Analysis”, by Robert D. Van Valin Jr., gives a comprehensive picture of Role
and Reference Grammar (RRG) as a theoretical framework in linguistic analysis
and links it to: syntactic representation (of clause structure,
nucleus-core-periphery); semantic units underlying syntactic structures and
their operators; semantic representations/lexical representations; and
grammatical relations. These points are illustrated through examples from
Mandarin Chinese and Turkish. Overall, RRG is claimed to be a useful framework
to analyze morphosyntactic phenomena.

Chapter 29, “The Analysis of Signed Languages”, by Sherman Wilcox and Phyllis
Perrin Wilcox, provides a very impressive description of ‘signed languages’
(the term used in analogy with spoken and written languages). The chapter
analyzes manifestations of visual-gestural communication by applying
phonological information. The cognitive processes of iconicity, metaphor, and
metonymy play a predominant role in the use of gestures and signs. The
relation between gestural forms and meaning and grammaticalization are
extended to the codification and development of the gesture-lexical and
morpheme-grammatical marker interfaces. References to American Sign Language
(ASL), Catalan Sign Language (LSC), Italian Sign Language (LIS) are made.
Finally, a special reference is also made to prosody/intonation, which is
supported by illustrations from facial articulations.

Chapter 30, “Simpler Syntax”, by Peter W. Culicover, provides an overview of
the most significant grammatical functions and implications of Simpler Syntax
(SS) with regard to linguistic phenomena such as ellipsis, control and
raising, and argument alternations (e.g. active/passive constructions). There
are parallels drawn between SS and Chomsky (1965), Head-Driven Phrase
Structure Grammar (HPSG), and Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG), which are all
substantiated. According to the author, syntax is made simpler by this theory,
namely through semantic interpretations and simplified rules.

Chapter 31, “Systemic Functional Grammar and the Study of Meaning”, by Alice
Caffarel, discusses the use of Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) in studying
meaning in context, as postulated by Halliday (1978, 1994, 1996), Halliday and
Hasan (1985) and Halliday and Matthiessen (1999, 2004). The author illustrates
SFG as an effective tool in understanding meaning in language. English and
French examples provide evidence in favor of this theory. The table (p. 799)
showing the difference in orientation between formal and functional theories
of language, as summarized by Halliday (1978), summarizes the main thrust of
the chapter in a nutshell. Furthermore, the importance of SFG concepts in the
semiotic domain (stratification and instantiation) in describing the creation
of meaning in language is a specific area of concentration. The other key
dimension discussed is register variation, with reference to logogenesis (i.e.
the synchronic creation of meaning through particular features), phylogenesis
(i.e. the creation of meaning from a diachronic, systemic perspective) and
ontogenesis (i.e. the evolution of a linguistic system in the individual from
protolanguage to language). The key aspects of the metafunctional dimension of
the systemic organization of language and the correlation between contextual
variables and metafunctions are discussed via a structural description using
French grammar and clause structure. Overall, SFG finds its application in
many contexts, such as the study of literature, translation, artificial
intelligence, multimodal texts, psychiatry, language disorders, and so on.

Chapter 32, “Usage-Based Theory”, by Joan L. Bybee and Clay Beckner, describes
the applicability of this theory, which helps explain the interrelations
between grammatical morphemes (e.g. function words and affixes) and dynamic
changes in language through the interaction of social and cognitive processes.
The cognitive processes, lexical units and structural properties of language
together account for the dual nature of language, which undergoes change in
systematic ways. This chapter also provides background to the theory, which
postulates that the units and structure of language emerge out of specific
communicative events (pg. 829).  The author believes that Usage-Based Theory
relies on the basic capacities of the human brain, such as sequential and
statistical learning, chunking, and categorization. According to Fillmore et
al.(1988), this model adopts constructions as the basic unit of form-meaning
correspondence, which is substantiated with examples from the British National
Corpus (BNC).

The last chapter in this volume, “Word Grammar”, by Richard Hudson, summarizes
Word Grammar (WG) exhaustively, in all its aspects and at all levels. The
topics covered begin with the aims of WG and the relations between the
elements of language, and continue with a summary of claims made by the
principles and rules postulated for the individual structural units of
language, in relation to aspects of meaning and networks of meaningful units
(e.g. synonyms and homonyms). The mechanism assumed in WG is based on
reasoning and the default inheritance of general linguistic theories and
principles. Therefore, logic plays a key role in explaining exceptions in
irregular morphology (e.g. irregular past tense verb forms in English). A
detailed account of networks concerning words and features, as well as
hierarchies of word classes, sub-classes, lexemes and sub-lexemes, including
inflections, forms the main theme of this concluding chapter. The author’s
analysis shows that “unlike many other contemporaries….. WG classified words
without using feature-structures” (p. 872). Morphology and dependency
structures in English syntax are well justified by WG structures, particularly
where two structures share the same word (e.g. wh-questions). In addition, the
chapter concludes with sample structures to illustrate the relevance of its
explanations for semantics, language learning and language use in social
context, and also includes comparisons between time and space in WG.

EVALUATION

The book is a comprehensive guide, reference, encyclopedia, and textbook; it
represents an all-in-one volume covering linguistic theories posited in
diverse scholarly works by eminent linguists and language analysts. The
handbook, apart from putting forth arguments in favor of classical and
contemporary theories, also presents excerpts from diverse approaches and
viewpoints from different perspectives of language analysis. The editors’
selection and compilation of articles on linguistic analysis, presenting the
correspondence between the sub-fields of morphology and syntax, and syntax and
semantics, are truly commendable.

The handbook is a collection of both theoretical and empirical studies on
familiar and not-so-familiar languages. Special mention must be made of
Chapter 14, on Framework-free Grammatical Theory because, while earlier
chapters refer to a frame or a theory to interpret grammar and meaning, this
chapter offers an explanation departing from traditional approaches. This
approach advocates an unprejudiced description which overrides possible biases
from models which are posited earlier. The chapter emphasizes the researcher’s
ability to discover new phenomena based exclusively on the data and one’s own
perception of language(s).

Chapter 20, on morphological analysis and its interface with phonology, is
distinct in its observations and presentation in that the use of electronic
sources and the internet are recommended as the preferred tools for
morphological research rather than dictionaries, which suffer from
restrictions on the data selected by individual lexicographers. The actual
corpora of language provide the possibility of investigating morphological
processes correlated with factors of language use and properties of language
users. Likewise, other interesting chapters are Chapter 29, on the analysis of
signed languages, and Chapter 30, on Simpler Syntax; both effectively
facilitate the reader’s comprehension of the theories in question. Chapter 29
delves into questions on the nature, origin and evolution of the language
faculty. The fact that it discusses signed languages in relation to optical,
acoustic data and observations of the linguistic system is impressive.
Furthermore, the explanation contained in Chapter 30, showing how complex
syntactic structures connect with other components of grammar, is interesting.
Overall, the last chapter is the most compelling, and serves as a perfect
conclusion to the dense volume of individual and comparative theoretical
presentations, as it briefly traces the history of theories of Word Grammar
and syntactic/semantic interpretations discussed in earlier chapters.

REFERENCES 

Chomsky, N.(1965). Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Chomsky, N. (1995). The Minimalist Program. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Fillmore, Charles J., Paul Kay and Mary C.O’Connor. (1998). Regularity and
idiomaticity in grammatical Constructions: the case of  ‘let alone’ Language
64:501-38.

Fontenelle, Thierry (ed.). (2003) International Journal of Lexicography 16.3
(special issue on FrameNet).

Halliday, M.A.K. (1978). Language as Social Semiotic: The Social
interpretation of Language and Meaning. London: Edward Arnold.

Halliday, M.A.K. (1994). An Introduction to Functional Grammar, 2nd ed.
London: Arnold.

Halliday, M.A.K. (1996). On grammar and grammatics. In Ruqaiya Hasan, Carmel
Cloran, and David Butt (eds.), Functional Descriptions: Theory in Practice.
Amsterdam: Benjamins, pp.1-38.

Halliday, M.A.K. and Hasan (1985). Language, Context and Text: Aspects of
Language in a Social-Semiotic Perspective. Geelong, Vic.: Deakin University
Press.

Halliday, M.A.K. and Christian Matthiessen (1999). Language-Based Approach to
Cognition.  London: Continuum.

Halliday, M.A.K. (2004) An Introduction to Functional Grammar, 3rd ed.
London:Arnold.

Morrill, Glyn and Mario Fadda (2008). Proof nets for basic discontinuous
Lambek Calculus, Logic and Computation 18:239-56.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Dr. Seetha Jayaraman is a Lecturer at Dhofar University, Sultanate of Oman,
where she teaches English to graduate students. Her research interests include
sociolinguistics, comparative linguistics, and phonetics.








----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-24-3145	
----------------------------------------------------------
Visit LL's Multitree project for over 1000 trees dynamically generated
from scholarly hypotheses about language relationships:
          http://multitree.linguistlist.org/