Aesthetics of Grammar - Sound and Meaning in the Languages of Mainland Southeast Asia

This book provides a detailed comparative overview of an array of elaborate grammatical resources used in Southeast Asian languages.

List of contents

1. Introduction Jeffrey P. Williams; Part I. Austro-Asiatic: 2. Expressives in Austro-Asiatic Paul Sidwell; 3. Aesthetic elements in Temiar grammar Geoffrey Benjamin; 4. Decorative morphology in Khmer John Haiman; 5. Why is sound symbolism so common in Vietnamese? Marc Brunelle and Lê Thi Xuy¿n; 6. Grammatical aesthetics in Wa Justin Watkins; 7. Beautifying techniques in Kammu vocal genres Håkan Lundström; Part II. Tai-Kadai: 8. Proverbs, proverbial elaboration, and poetic development in the Tai languages Thomas John Hudak; 9. Lexicalized poetry in Sui James N. Stanford; 10. Attitudes towards aesthetic aspects of Thai grammar Wilaiwan Khanittanan; Part III. Hmong-Mien: 11. White Hmong reduplicative expressives Martha Ratliff; Part IV. Austronesian: 12. The aesthetics of Jarai echo morphology Lap M. Siu and Jeffrey P. Williams; 13. Expressive forms in Bih - a Highland Chamic language of Vietnam Tam Nguyen; Part V. Tibeto-Burman: 14. Aesthetic aspects of Khmui grammar David A. Peterson; 15. Delight in sound: Burmese patterns of euphony Julian K. Wheatley; 16. Psycho-collocational expressives in Burmese Alice Vittrant; 17. Grammatical aesthetics of ritual texts in Akha Inga-Lill Hansson.

About the author

Jeffrey P. Williams is Professor of Anthropology and Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas Tech University.

Summary

The languages of mainland Southeast Asia evidence an impressive array of elaborate grammatical resources such as echo words, phonaesthetic words, chameleon affixes, onomatopoeic forms, ideophones and expressives. This book provides a detailed comparative overview of the mechanisms by which aesthetic qualities of speech operate as part of speakers' grammatical knowledge.

Product details

• Authors: Jeffrey P Williams, Jeffrey P. Williams, Jeffrey P. (Texas Tech University) Williams
• Assisted by: Jeffrey P. Williams (Editor), Jeffrey P. (Texas Tech University) Williams (Editor), Williams Jeffrey P. (Editor)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 28.11.2013
• EAN: 9781107007123
• ISBN: 978-1-107-00712-3
• No. of pages: 308
• Subjects: Education and learning > Miscellaneous; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > Other languages / Other literatures; LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Grammar & Punctuation, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / Syntax, Grammar, syntax & morphology, Grammar, syntax and morphology, East & Southeast Asian languages, East and Southeast Asian languages