Explanation and linguistic change / edited by Willem Koopman ... [et al.].

Format:

Book

Conference/Event

Contributor:

Koopman, W. F. (Willem F.)

Conference Name:

Explanation and Linguistic Change (1985 : Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Series:

Amsterdam studies in the theory and history of linguistic science. Current issues in linguistic theory ; Series IV, v. 45.

Amsterdam studies in the theory and history of linguistic science. Series IV, Current issues in linguistic theory, 0304-0763 ; v. 45

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Historical linguistics--Congresses.

Historical linguistics.

Explanation (Linguistics)--Congresses.

Explanation (Linguistics).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (308 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam ; Philadelphia : John Benjamins Pub. Co., 1987.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This volume presents the outcome of a workshop, held in Amsterdam in 1985, on the nature, even possibility, of explanation in Historical Linguistics: why changes take place and others do not, and why they occur at a particular time and place. The workshop, and this volume, aim to explore questions such as i) are the factors which explain the actuation of a change different from those that explain its implementation?; ii) is it possible to give a typology of changes?; iii) should linguistic explanation hope to meet the same requirements as explanation in the pure sciences?; iv) are all linguist

Contents:

EXPLANATION AND LINGUISTIC CHANGE; Editorial page; Title page; Copyright page; Table of contents; PREFACE; INTRODUCTION; REFERENCES; THE LANGUAGE LIFEGAME: PREDICTION, EXPLANATION AND LINGUISTIC CHANGE; 1.0. Introduction; 2.0. The relationship between synchronic and diachronic theories; 3.0. Reasons for language universals; 4.0. The language lifegame; 5.0. Snowballs; 5.1. Snowball (1): development of pidgins; 5.2. Snowball (2): destruction of verb-final constraint; 6.0. Summary and conclusion; NOTES; REFERENCES; HEADLESS RELATIVES IN THE HISTORY OF DUTCH; ABBREVIATED SOURCES.; NOTE

BIBLIOGRAPHY MODERN DUTCH COULD BE MIDDLE DUTCHER THAN YOU THINK (AND VICE VERSA); 1. Introduction; 2. Bossuyt's proposal; 3. Second thoughts on P2 integration; 4. The internal structure of the headless relative; 4.1. Stacking; 4.2. The position of the complementizer; 4.3. A head for a headless relative; 4.4. Conclusion; 5. Final remarks; FOOTNOTES; REFERENCES; A BRIEF REPLY TO MR. WEERMAN.; A 'CASE' FOR THE OLD ENGLISH IMPERSONAL; 0. Introduction; 1. The case of the OE impersonal; 2. Case alternation with OE personal verbs; 3. Theories of Case; 4. Case and the lexicon; 5. Conclusion; NOTES

REFERENCES REQUISITES FOR REINTERPRETATION; 1. Introduction; 2. The case of modern Dutch -se; 2.1. The female inhabitatives in synchronic analyses; 2.2. The female inhabitatives as a separate pattern; I semantics; II morphological valence; III syntactic valence; 2.3. On the genesis of female inhabitatives in -se_; 2.4. Reinterpretation and its consequences for the synchronic system; 3. The case of Sranan e; 3.1. The original system; 3.2 Recent deviations from the original system; 3.3 Interpretation of the deviations; 4. Requisites for reinterpretation; NOTES; BIBLIOGRAPHY

LANGUAGE, SPEAKERS, HISTORY AND DRIFT* 1. Preliminaries; 2, Alternative ontologies; 3. Psychological reductionism and history; 4. Programmatic interlude: Some questions; 5. Arguments for the autonomy of history, 1: Conspiracies; 6. Problems for psychologism: Sapir on 'drift'; 7. Arguments for the autonomy of history, 2: Centres of gravity; 8. Arguments for the autonomy of history, 3: Convergent drift; 9. The ontological dilemma: A new pair of spectacles?; NOTES; REFERENCES; NUMBER NEUTRALIZATION IN OLD ENGLISH: FAILURE OF FUNCTIONALISM?; 1. Outline of the functionalist view

2. Number neutralization in Old English: The system 3. Number neutralization in Old English: Change and variation; 4. The functionalist view qualified; REFERENCES; THE STATUS OF THE FUNCTIONAL APPROACH; NOTES; REFERENCES; ON SH*TTING THE DOOR IN EARLY MODERN ENGLISH: A REPLY TO PROFESSOR SAMUELS; NOTE; REFERENCE; A BRIEF REJOINDER TO PROFESSOR LASS; 'EXPLANATION' BY LINGUISTIC MAPS; REFERENCES; OLD ENGLISH DIALECTS: WHAT'S TO EXPLAIN; WHAT'S AN EXPLANATION?; NOTE; REFERENCES; SUBJECT INDEX

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographies and index.

ISBN:

1-283-31400-2

9786613314000

90-272-7945-4

OCLC:

757401370