Aspects of the Theory of Clitics

Description:

The first book to cover the grammar of clitics from all points of view, including their phonology, morphology, and syntax, and the first comprehensive survey of clitic phenomena for twenty years. Written with exceptional clarity and based on a course given to graduate students.

Features:

  • Covers the grammar of clitics in terms of their phonology, morphology, and syntax, as opposed to purely syntactic or phonological accounts
  • First comprehensive survey of clitic phenomena for 20 years
  • Provides analyses of such standard problems as English contracted auxiliaries clitic doubling, clitic climbing, and the relation of clitics to agreement
  • Original data from Kwakw’ala (“Kwakiutl”) and Surmiran Rumantsch, as well as discussion of a wide range of languages
  • Suitable for use as a text for upper division undergraduate and beginning graduate courses in morphology and syntax

Reviews:

“This book comes as a breath of fresh air. It is very clearly written, and is comprehensive in every way: it deals with a broad range of language types; it gives very clear comparisons with alternative theories; and it addresses all the important syntactic and phonological implications of the theory. It is a great feat to be able to pull all of these issues together and explain them in a way that is actually enjoyable to read.”–Margaret Speas, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

“Important and much needed…. An invaluable contribution to our understanding of the grammar of clitics. By effectively employing several components of the grammar to jointly account for the grammar of clitics, it seriously casts doubt on approaches that promote single component perspectives on this phenomenon. This study will undoubtedly be a cornerstone in any future debates on this important topic.”–Journal of Word Structure

Product Details:

328 pages;

ISBN13: 978-0-19-927991-3

ISBN10: 0-19-927991-8

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