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This textbook provides a critical introduction to major research topics and current approaches in linguistic typology, the study of structural variation in human language and of the limits on that variation. Jae Jung Song draws on a wide range of cross-linguistic data to describe what linguistic typology has revealed both about language in general and about the rich variety of ways in which meaning and expression are achieved in the world's languages. Following an introduction to the subject matter and its history, the first part of the book explores theoretical issues and approaches, as well as practical considerations such as sampling methods and data collection. In the second part, chapters examine variation in particular phenomena, such as word order, case alignment, and evidentiality marking. Each chapter concludes with study questions and suggestions for further reading. The volume will be suitable for undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of linguistic typology and language universals, and as secondary reading for cross-linguistically focused courses in phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.
List of contents
- 1: Linguistic typology: An introductory overview
- Part I Foundations: Theory and method
- 2: Unity and diversity in the world's languages
- 3: Typological analysis
- 4: Linguistic typology and other theoretical approaches
- 5: Language samples and sampling methods
- 6: Data collection: Sources, issues and problem
- 7: Typological asymmetry: Economy, iconicity, and frequency
- 8: Categories, prototypes, and semantic maps
- Part II Empirical dimensions
- 9: Phonological typology
- 10: Basic word order
- 11: Case alignment
- 12: Grammatical relations
- 13: Valency-manipulating operations
- 14: Person marking
- 15: Evidentiality marking
About the author
Jae Jung Song was Professor of Linguistics at the University of Otago. His research interests included linguistic typology, Korean linguistics, Oceanic linguistics, and language policy. He is the author of Linguistic Typology: Morphology and Syntax (Longman, 2001), The Korean Language: Structure, Use and Context (Routledge, 2005), and Word Order (CUP, 2012), and the editor of The Oxford Handbook of Linguistic Typology (OUP, 2010; paperback 2013). He has held visiting appointments with Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (Leipzig) and La Trobe University (Melbourne).
Summary
This textbook provides a critical introduction to major research topics and current approaches in linguistic typology. It draws on a wide range of cross-linguistic data to describe what linguistic typology has revealed about language in general and about the rich variety of ways in which meaning and expression are achieved in the world's languages.
Additional text
Jae Jung Song covers a great variety of topics, both related to theoretical (such as explanation in typology and sampling of languages) and empirical aspects (such as phonological typology and case marking) of the field, which is the best way to present it to readers. The book is a brilliant testament to the authors 25 years of teaching and research in linguistic typology.
Report
Jae Jung Song covers a great variety of topics, both related to theoretical (such as explanation in typology and sampling of languages) and empirical aspects (such as phonological typology and case marking) of the field, which is the best way to present it to readers. The book is a brilliant testament to the authors 25 years of teaching and research in linguistic typology. Seppo Kittilä, University of Helsinki
