New books

[LINCOM EUROPA]

Tense in Persian
Its Nature and Use

Behrooz Mahmoodi Bakhtiari

TENSE IN PERSIAN: ITS NATURE AND USE, is a comprehensive work on the Persian tense system, which is composed in 6 chapters.

1) Theoretical preliminaries
2) Review of the related literature
3) The morphology of Persian tenses
4) The semantics of Persian tenses
5) Tense in the Persian discourse
6) Summary and conclusion.
Bibliography.

The theoretical framework  chosen for this study was Comrie's (1985) work TENSE, but some other important books such as Dahl (1985) TENSE AND ASPECT SYSTEMS, and
Decklerk (1991)'s work TENSE IN ENGLISH have been used. Covering the different aspects of the Persian tense, the book can be useful for those interested in TAM studies, specially those who are interested in Indo-European linguistics.

ISBN 3 89586 674 1. 
LINCOM Studies in Indo-European Linguistics 24. 
150 pp.  USD 67 / EUR 65 / £ 42.80.



 
Free copies of LINCOM's catalogue 2002 ("project line 12") are now available from LINCOM.EUROPA at t-online.de.

LINCOM electronic n.e.w.s.l.e.t.t.e.r. :New books in June 2002.
http://www.lincom-europa.com

LINCOM EUROPA, Freibadstr. 3, D-81543 Muenchen, Germany; 
FAX +49 89 62269404;  
http://www.lincom-europa.com
LINCOM.EUROPA at t-online.de.



<<<

Intonational Marking of Contrastive Focus in Madrid Spanish
 
Timothy L.Face 
University of Minnesota 

The present volume presents the results of an experimental study on the phonetics and phonology of the intonation patterns used to convey contrastive focus in Madrid Spanish.  It contributes to recent and ongoing research on Spanish intonation by addressing an area that has been of interest to various scholars of Spanish intonation, yet has not received an adequate treatment to this point.  This study is intended both for the Hispanist interested in the functions of Spanish intonation and for the theoretical phonologist working on intonation.  The presentation is both data-driven, providing illustrations and discussions of the various intonation patterns that function as markers of contrastive focus, and theoretical, providing a formal phonological analysis of the intonation patterns observed.  The material, following an introductory chapter and a chapter on the experimental methodology employed, is organized into four main chapters.  The topics of these chapters are the intonation of broad focus declaratives, the intonation on the focal word, the intonation on the non-focal words of sentences containing a focal word, and the influence of syntactic constituency on focal intonation.  A concluding chapter summarizes the material presented throughout the book, considers its larger implications, and suggests directions for future research.
Timothy L. Face is Assistant Professor of Hispanic Linguistics at the University of Minnesota.  He is the author of several articles on Spanish intonation and other areas of Spanish phonetics and phonology.

ISBN 3 89586 367 X. 
LINCOM Studies in Romance Linguistics 38. 
116pp. USD 49 / EUR 53 / £ 34.

<<

Atemporal complement clauses in English: 
A Cognitive Grammar Analysis
Zeki Hamawand
University of Hamburg

This book deals with verbal complementation in English, namely the introduction of a complement clause into the immediate domination of the verb phrase of a main clause. Its scope of analysis is confined primarily to atemporal (non-finite) complement clauses represented by infinitives, participles and gerunds. The notion atemporal refers to a complement clause that is not grounded in time, and so not anchored with respect to elaborated reality. The framework in which the analysis is conducted is Cognitive Grammar (henceforth CG). The general goal of the analysis is to emphasise the importance of cognitive processes in motivating the linguistic structures of language, regard the syntactic form of an expression as reflecting its conceptual organisation and recognise the speaker's capacity to express a situation in alternate ways. Each expression imparts a particular meaning which is distinguishable from the other. 
	The specific goal of the analysis is to account for the selection of a type of a complement clause construction, which is a function of both meaning and distribution. The meaning of a complement clause construction, which determines its form, is the result of the particular construal the speaker imposes on its conceptual content. Conceptual content refers to the context of knowledge against which the meaning of the construction is characterised. Construal refers to the particular image the speaker selects from a range of alternatives to structure the content of the construction. Distribution is the result of the semantic compatibility that exists between the internal parts of the construction. By integrating all the variables relevant for complement selection, the book presents a unified account of aspects of verbal complementation, and so represents the first in-depth cognitive analysis of atemporal complement clauses in English.

ISBN 3 89586 753 5. 
LINCOM Studies in English Linguistics 01. 
350pp. USD 68 / EUR 70 / £ 45.
<<

Welsh Dictionaries in the twentieth century: a critical analysis
Sabine Heinz
Humboldt-Universitaet Berlin

The book presents the first investigation of modern Welsh dictionaries in their socio-historic context. It is based on the latest lexicographical and grammatical research. It focuses pre­dominantly on the analysis of the grammatical information contained in modern Welsh general-purpose dic­tionaries. In the light of a rich lexicographical production in contemporary Wales, this aspect is of highest priority, since such grammatical information provides the basic knowledge of how to use lexical items in context and how to apply them in speech. An adequate linguistic de­scription of a given language will thereby support its maintenance and the identity of its speakers, a problem area also discussed here.
In view of this, Welsh nouns and verbs are presented in a new classification which aimes to re­flect their properties more clearly and make them more easily reflectable in dictionary entries. A plea has been made for the inclusion of comprehensive morphological information into dictionary entries, but also phonetic transcription in order to promote language acquisition and maintenance. 
The works pays respect to the lexicographical work which has been thus far in Wales produced under intricate socio-historical conditions. It is meant to encourage further linguistic research and thereby to contribute to the stabilisation of the language.
	The author of the book is a lecturer on Celtic. She has published widely on various aspects of Celtic matters.

ISBN 3 89586 750 0. 
LINCOM Studies in Indo-European Linguistics 21. 
540 pp. USD 76 / EUR 80 / £54.

<<

Use of aspect-tense verbal forms in Akkadian texts of the Hammurapi period (1792-1750 B.C.)
Golda H.Kaplan
Institute of Oriental studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, St.-Petersburg

The conjugated forms traditionally named as the Present, Preterite and Perfect are the main components of the Akkadian aspect-tense verbal system. The existence of the Akkadian Perfect and the peculiarities of its usage had been the subject of lengthy discussion. When studying the Perfect in the Middle Assyrian dialect the author came to the conclusion that the use of the Perfect in that dialect should have been explained a way different from that suggested by W. von Soden (Grundriss der Akkadischen Grammatik. Roma 1952; 19953). Thus, the necessity arose to check anew the use of the Perfect at the earlier stages of the development of Akkadian. The Perfect being a component of the single aspect-tense verbal system, its usage was to be studied along with that of the Present and Preterite.
The detailed analysis of all the verb contexts in the letters of Hammurapi and in the Code of Hammurapi has led to the following conclusions.
In the texts under discussion as in the Old Babylonian dialect in general the three conjugated forms could express the action of any time and aspect. The difference lies, in the first place, in the frequency of their use in this or that aspect-tense function. But this difference is so great in a number of cases that one can speak of certain aspect-tense functions as attached to a particular verb form.
Comparing Old Babylonian with later Akkadian dialects shows that the aspect-tense system was constantly changing. It is best seen on the relations of the Preterite and Perfect within the past. A clear tendency is observed of the Perfect becoming the form of the punctive in the past in affirmative sentences (or main clauses) and the Preterite into the form of the punctive in the past in subordinate clauses.
The changes within the aspect-tense system were penetrating into the texts of various genres not evenly but depending on the closeness of this or that written genre to the spoken language. This seems to explain the uneven distribution of the Perfect in different texts: being an innovation of Akkadian, the Perfect is more frequent in the texts which are closer to the spoken language.
It has long been debated on which time and tense should be applied to translate protases of the law clauses of the Code of Hammurapi. The author is of the opinion that most protases of the law clauses of the Code of Hammurapi should be translated by the past. Her arguments are as follows. The law part of the Code of Hammurapi as a whole can be considered as the main clause of a complex sentence whose subordinate clause of time placed in the Introduction of the Code of Hammurapi refers to the past. So the main clause seems to refer to the past as well. When used together in one šumma-clause of a protasis the Preterite as a rule denotes a prior action while the Perfect - a posterior one. An analogous phenomenon is observed in the Old Babylonian letters in sentences (or main clauses) describing past events. In the subordinate clauses of protases the punctive is expressed as a rule by the Preterite. In Akkadian the punctive of subordinate clauses expressed by the Preterite generally referred to the past.

ISBN 3 89586 692 X.
LINCOM Studies in Afro-Asiatic Linguistics 05. 130 pp. 
USD 46 / EUR 48 / £ 29.


<<

A Dictionary of Plautdietsch Rhyming Words 
Eldo Neufeld 

The author has been guilty of versifying from his early elementary school years.  The hours spent searching mentally for proper rhyming words are unnumbered.  Rhyming dictionaries are available in some languages, but not in the author's Plautdietsch mother tounge. In Little Red Hen fashion, the only solution was to fashion one oneself. In this attempt it became immediately clear that an abundance of rhyming words in English, often spelled in many different ways, does not exist in Plautdietsch. For example, variations in spelling in the rhyming portions of words   (homonyms) like "ate, bait, straight, freight," sound alike and therefore rhyme with each other, have no counterpart in Plautdietsch.  Rhyming words are usually spelled much more consistently, e.g. "deele" (to divide), "feele" (to feel), "heele" (to heal), or "Draikj" (dirt), "Flaikj" (intestines), "Saikj" (sacks).  In all three cases of these groups of words, the rhymes are exact. It appears, therefore, that for the Plautdietsch versifier, the spelling variations in rhymes are much more limited than those in English.

The book is arranged into three sections:
Section I:  Monosyllables, and words accented on the last syllable
Secion II:  Words accented on the syllable before the last
Section III:  Words accented on the third syllable from the end
In each section words are arranged alphabetically in lists under phonetic syllables, which are themselves arranged alphabetically.  This arrangement should make it possible for the versifier to go quickly to a group of words which all contain the sound for which he is searching.
It is hoped that this work will be found useful for the would-be Plautdietsch poet who is stuck for a rhyme in the middle of a great idea, or needs a better word to end a lovesong, or is tired of the same old refrains.
A Dictionary of Plautdietsch Rhyming Words   is part three of the Plautdietsch project by Eldo Neufeld (Plautdietsch Grammar, ISBN 3895866156. LINCOM Studies in Germanic Linguistics 08; Plautdietsch Verb Conjugation, Vol I. ISBN 389586 614 8. LINCOM Studies in Germanic Linguistics 09, Vol II. ISBN 389586 882 5. LINCOM Studies in Germanic Linguistics 10).

ISBN 3 89586 362 9. 
LINCOM Studies in Germanic Linguistics 15. 
76pp. USD 26 / EUR 28 / £ 22. 

<<

Persian
Yavar Dehghbani

Persian is a member of the Indo-Iranian language group, a subgroup of Indo-European language family.  It is considered to be an inflectional language, and has an SOV constituent order. Modern Persian is spoken mainly in Iran with a population of 70 million, as well as in other parts of world especially in USA and Europe.  Its close relatives are other Iranian languages like Tajik, which is spoken in the republic of Tajkistan, and Afghani Farsi, which is spoken in Afghanistan.  
Persian has several dialects like Tehrani, Esfahani, Shirazi, and Yazdi which all are mutually intelligible.  
	There are two different styles of Persian.  The written style is phonologically and syntactically more conservative and has not been changed for at least a century.  However, the spoken style has been changed dramatically, especially in phonology.  Traditional grammarians use the written style in describing the language.  But linguists, as expected, emphasize the spoken style.  The spoken style is economical in phonology and morphology. 
The grammar of Persian contains chapters on Phonetics/Phonology, Morphology, Syntax and sample texts with interlinear translation.





ISBN 3 89586 908 2. 
Languages of the World/Materials 348. 
Ca. 60 pp. USD 34.50 / EUR 29.20 / £ 21.10.


<<


Polish
Ronald Feldstein & Steven Franks
Indiana University, Bloomington

A reference grammar which covers the essential points of Polish phonology, morphology, and syntax.  Written to be usable by the general reader, not just the linguistics professional. Phonological information is presented from a combined phonogical and orthographical perspective, in order to introduce the Polish spelling system and its phonological values within a single chapter. Includes Polish minimal pairs and comparisons to English. Morphophonemic alternations are then set up, followed by individual sections on nominal, pronominal, adjectival, and verbal morphology. Verbal morphology is organized on the basis of a new application of  the Jakobsonian one-stem system. Individual sections deal with specific semantic topics unfamiliar to English speakers, including verbal aspect, motion verbs, and numerals. The syntax section deals with general descriptive problems, but should also be of interest to more sophisticated users. Topics covered include issues of case and government, the use of pronominal clitics, the formation of questions and other sentence types, verbal agreement patterns, and verbal categories such as voice, mood, and aspect.

ISBN 3 89586 438 2. 
Languages of the World/Materials 393. 
140pp. USD 40 / EUR 42 / £ 29. 


<<

Development of Afro–Asiatic (Semito-Hamitic) Comparative–Historical Linguistics in Russia and the Former Soviet Union

Gábor Takács 

This study gives the first science history and a detailed and extensive scientific appraisal of the works by the Russian school (or "Moscow school") of Afro-Asiatic (Semito-Hamitic) comparative-historical linguistics in the past three decades.
	The book contains the following parts: 1. A general overview of roots of Afro-Asiatic linguistics in Russia before 1965. 2. A concise survey of development of Afro-Asiatic studies from 1965 in Russia. 3. A most detailed presentation and critical appraisal of works by the Russian comparativists on the reconstruction of Afro-Asiatic comparative phonology and lexicon in the light of research results of other ("Western") scholars (incl. my own observations). 4. A concise description of the so-called "Nostratic theory" and introduction of the "Moscow school of comparative linguistics" in the latest three decades. 5. The work ends with a comprehensive bibliography of all cited works. This is at the same time the first bibliography that includes all Russian works on Afro-Asiatic linguistics from 1965.

ISBN 3 89586 591 5. 
LINCOM Studies in Afro-Asiatic Linguistics 02. 
200 pp. USD 68.90 / EUR 72.10 / £ 44.60. 2nd printing.


<<

Modern Literary Uzbek. 
A Manual for Intensive Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced Courses 
[incl. a descriptive grammar of Modern Literary Uzbek]. 

András J. E. Bodrogligeti
University of California, Los Angeles

Developed in the regular and intensive courses of the Uzbek Language and Area Studies Program at UCLA and updated every season for the Summer Sessions of the same institution this handbook is a time tested comprehensive work to provide systematically, arranged and culturally balanced language materials for students aiming at wellrounded composition and conversation competence in Modern Literary Uzbek, the official language of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
In thirty sizable units the manual presents 60 culturally relevant readings, 30 topic-oriented conversations, 210 proverbs, 450 phrases,  set expressions and idioms, ca. 2000 most frequently used words proportionally representing the semantic fields they belong to. Most of all, it contains a grammar of the language with illustrations selected from a rich and varied storehouse of primary sources. Texts used for two-way translations and topics for directed compositions reflect the cultural dimensions of the language and address its functional need in actual circumstances.
The Manual was prepared for class-room use with an instructor of native or close to native competence in charge. The detailed grammatical and morphological index, however, makes the Manual also useful for linguists interested in descriptive grammar.

 
ISBN 3 89586 695 4. 
LINCOM Language Coursebooks 10. 
2 vols., each 360pp. Each vol. USD  40 /  EUR 44 / £  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/histling/attachments/20020618/10e3f06d/attachment.htm>