New Titles: Givon, 2 volumes

[Jessica Balaschak]

John Benjamins Publishing would like to announce the publication of the 
following volumes in the field of Functional Linguistics:

Syntax I. An Introduction.
T. GIVÓN (University of Oregon)
United States and Canada: 1 58811 065 6 / USD 90.00 (Hardcover)
1 58811 066 4 / USD 29.95 (Paperback)
Rest of world: 90 272 2577 X / NLG 198.00 (Hardcover)
90 272 2578 8 / NLG 66.00 (Paperback)

Syntax II. An Introduction.
T.GIVÓN (University of Oregon)
United States and Canda: 1 58811 067 2 / USD 80.00 (Hardcover)
1 58811 068 0 / USD 26.95 (Paperback)
Rest of world: 90 272 2579 6 / NLG 176.00 (Hardcover)
90 272 2580 X / NLG 60.00 (Paperback)

This new edition of Syntax: A functional-typological introduction is at 
many points radically revised. In the previous edition (1984) the author 
deliberately chose to de-emphasize the more formal aspects of syntactic 
structure, in favor of a more comprehensive treatment of the semantic and 
pragmatic correlates of syntactic structure. With hindsight the author now 
finds the de-emphasis of the formal properties a somewhat regrettable 
choice, since it creates the false impression that one could somehow be a 
functionalist without being at the same time a structuralist. To redress 
the balance, explicit treatment is given to the core formal properties of 
syntactic constructions, such as constituency and hierarchy (phrase 
structure), grammatical relations and relational control, clause union, 
finiteness and governed constructions.
At the same time, the cognitive and communicative underpinning of 
grammatical universals are further elucidated and underscored, and the 
interplay between grammar, cognition and neurology is outlined. Also the 
relevant typological database is expanded, now exploring in greater 
precision the bounds of syntactic diversity. Lastly, Syntax treats 
synchronic-typological diversity more explicitly as the dynamic by-product 
of diachronic development or grammaticalization. In so doing a parallel is 
drawn between linguistic diversity and diachrony on the one hand and 
biological diversity and evolution on the other. It is then suggested that 
-- as in biology -- synchronic universals of grammar are exercised and 
instantiated primarily as constraints on development, and are thus merely 
the apparent by-products of universal constraints on grammaticalization.


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