36.3144, Books: Locative and Existential Predication: Däbritz, Budzisch and Basile (eds.) (2025)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-36-3144. Fri Oct 17 2025. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 36.3144, Books: Locative and Existential Predication: Däbritz, Budzisch and Basile (eds.) (2025)

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Date: 15-Oct-2025
From: Sebastian Nordhoff [support at langsci-press.org]
Subject: Locative and Existential Predication: Däbritz, Budzisch and Basile (eds.) (2025)


Title: Locative and Existential Predication
Subtitle: On forms, functions and neighboring domains
Series Title: Research on Comparative Grammar
Publication Year: 2025

Publisher: Language Science Press
           http://langsci-press.org
Book URL: https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/504

Editor(s): Chris Lasse Däbritz, Josefina Budzisch, Rodolfo Basile

eBook

Abstract:

Locative and existential predications are fundamental linguistic
constructions that exhibit significant formal overlap while serving
distinct communicative functions. Locative clauses typically anchor a
definite referent to a spatial context, whereas existential clauses
introduce new, often indefinite, referents into discourse. Despite
their central role in syntactic and typological research, the
cross-linguistic diversity of these predications remains largely
underexplored. This collective volume originates from workshops held
in 2023 at the Annual SLE Meeting in Athens and the International
Conference on Historical Linguistics in Heidelberg. It brings together
in-depth analyses of locative and existential predications across a
wide range of languages, drawing on diverse methodological and
theoretical approaches. Rather than imposing a single framework, the
volume deliberately allows for variation in how these constructions
are defined and analyzed, reflecting the complexity and diversity of
linguistic structures. A key theme of the book is the relationship
between locative, existential, and possessive predication. Many of the
included studies highlight the formal and functional connections
between these domains, illustrating how different languages encode
possession through structures that overlap with locative and
existential constructions. The volume also challenges conventional
assumptions about structural distinctions between these predications,
showing that in many languages, such boundaries are blurred or even
nonexistent. The introductory chapter reviews key findings from prior
research and offers a refined typology of locative and existential
predications. It also highlights the major insights from the remaining
chapters, each of which provides a detailed empirical analysis of
these constructions in one or several underdescribed languages. The
contributions address (i) the structural and functional properties of
locative and existential clauses, (ii) criteria for distinguishing
these constructions in languages where formal differentiation is
minimal, (iii) their frequency and usage in natural discourse, and
(iv) grammaticalization pathways that link locative, existential, and
possessive predication. By integrating data from a broad range of
languages and perspectives, this volume advances our understanding of
locative and existential predication and offers a foundation for
future research in typology, syntax, and historical linguistics.

Linguistic Field(s): Historical Linguistics
                     Syntax
                     Typology

Written In: English (eng)



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