Mouton Grammar Library: A Grammar of Tukang Besi

Fri Jul 30 09:48:22 UTC 1999

New Publication by Mouton de Gruyter:

Mark Donohue
A Grammar of Tukang Besi
1999. 24 x 16 cm. XXVI, 576 pages. 14 fig. 23 tab. 7 plates.
5 maps.
Cloth. DM 348,--/oeS 2540,--/sFr 310,--/approx. US$ 218.00.
ISBN 3-11-016188-5
(Mouton Grammar Library 20)
This is a comprehensive descriptive grammar of the Tukang
Besi language. Since Tukang Besi is a hitherto virtually
undescribed language of eastern Indonesia, the book includes
samples of glossed and translated texts, and a vocabulary.
In addition to general descriptive coverage of many
morphosyntactic phenomena, several aspects of the grammar
(such as the status of pronominal indexing, the grammatical
status of the 'subject' and other arguments, and the
interactions of grammatical function changing constructions)
receive a more detailed treatment, since they bear on
aspects of concern for modern theoretical linguistics.
Clause structure requires separate references to
morphological cases, syntactic roles, and semantic roles,
since different grammatical processes are sensitive to
different combinations of these kinds of clause-internal
relations. Add to this the possibilities of adding
applicative and causative formatives, and the result is a
system of great complexity and elegance, one that will
appeal to general linguists of various theoretical
persuasions. Because of the geographical location of Tukang
Besi and its unusual combination of typological features –
it combines features of the Philippine-type languages found
to the north and west, and of eastern Indonesian and western
Oceanic languages to the south and east – this grammar will
be of interest to Austronesianists (both synchronically and
diachronically) as well as general linguists.

Released earlier this year:
Jeffrey Heath
A Grammar of Koyra Chiini
1999. 24 x 16 cm. XIV, 453 pages.
Cloth. DM 298,--/approx. US$ 186.00
ISBN 3-11-016285-7
(Mouton Grammar Library 19)

Prices are subject to change without notice.

For order information please conatct:
Mouton de Gruyter
Genthiner Str. 13
10785 Berlin, Germany
Fax: +49 30 26005 222
e-mail: orders at degruyter.de

For order information for the United States, Canada, and
Mexico please contact:
Walter de Gruyter, Inc.
200 Saw Mill River Road
Hawthorne, NY, 10532 USA
Fax: 914 747-1326
e-mail: CustomerService at degruyterny.com

Publications by Mouton de Gruyter can be ordered via World
Wide Web at:
http://www.degruyter.de