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Restrictiveness in Case Theory
Paperback / softback
Main Details
Title |
Restrictiveness in Case Theory
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Authors and Contributors |
By (author) Henry Smith
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Series | Cambridge Studies in Linguistics |
Physical Properties |
Format:Paperback / softback | Pages:344 | Dimensions(mm): Height 229,Width 153 |
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Category/Genre | Grammar and syntax |
ISBN/Barcode |
9780521026550
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Classifications | Dewey:415 |
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Audience | Professional & Vocational | |
Illustrations |
Worked examples or Exercises
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Publishing Details |
Publisher |
Cambridge University Press
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Imprint |
Cambridge University Press
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Publication Date |
1 June 2006 |
Publication Country |
United Kingdom
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Description
Henry Smith develops a theory of syntactic case and examines its synchronic and diachronic consequences. Within a unification-based framework, the book draws out pervasive patterns in the relationship between morphosyntax ('linking') and grammatical function. The theory proposed consists of three ordered constraints on the association of NPs and arguments, based on the central notion of 'restrictiveness'. Beginning with a detailed study of dative substitution in Icelandic, the author moves on to examine a wide array of synchronic and diachronic data and to construct a typology of case. Theoretically innovative and sophisticated, and descriptively wide-ranging, this book will appeal to all those interested in the cross-linguistic marking of case and the ways in which case systems may change over time.
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