New book: language Typology

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Dependency reversal in noun-attributive constructions: towards a
typology

ANDREJ L. MALCHUKOV
Russian Academy of Sciences

This study is conceived as a contribution to a tyoplogy of attributive
contructions, focussing on constructions exhibiting splits of head
proporties. The term "dependency reversal in noun-attributive
constructions" (DNRA) is used to refer to possessive-like attributive
constructions (of the type (that) idiot of a doctor), with the attribute
surfacing as the formal head and the semantic head surfacing as the
formal possessor. The body of the study presents a discussion of DNRA
contructions as attested in six individual languages:
Even (resp. Other Tungusic languages), Aleut, Hausa, Gude, Chinook and
Latin. The variation of the DNRA patterns, in particular along the
parameter of the attribute's upgrading/recategorization, is further
considered.
Following the lines of structure-based typologies, an upward taxonomy of
DNRA structures is presented to include other cases of constructions
involving the attribute's upgrading and the head (-to-possessor)
demotion. In search of DNRA related patterns the discussion is extended
to internal relative clauses and constructions with "dominant
attributes". Finally factors favouring the rise of DNRA structures are
tentatively considered: apart from diachronic factors,
underdifferentiation of lexical categories as well as pragmatic salience
of the attribute are shown to contribute to DNRA processes.


ISBN 3 89586 683 0.
LINCOM Studies in Language Typology 03.
54 pp. USD 28 / DM 49.80 / # 19.90.




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