Principles of Diachronic Syntax

by Lightfoot

Overview

The study of syntactic change has been much neglected in the past. Historical linguists have tended to concentrate on phonology, lexis and morphology whilst most theoretical studies of syntax have been deliberately synchronic in intention. In particular, theories of generative grammar have not been responsive to diachronic data and a fortiori have not yielded a convincing account of language change or of the interrelationships between different kinds of change. This study will be of interest to a wide range of linguists. It offers one of the first systematic accounts of a difficult and important topic, with implications for the whole field of linguistics and language study.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521293501
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	04/12/1979
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Linguistics , #23
Pages:	440
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.98(d)

Table of Contents

Foreword; 1. Preliminaries; 2. A paradigm case: The English modals; 3. A theory of change; 4. More category changes; 5. Changes in the lexicon; 6. On cyclic transformations; 7. The causes of reanalysis; Bibliography; Citation index.