The Germanic languages are among the best described in the world and exhibit a considerable degree of variation. Yet, with the exception of English, their properties and structural variance have yet to be fully exploited for linguistic theory. The purpose of this series is to promote more intense interaction of general linguistics with the field of Germanic linguistics as a whole.
By Lieselotte Anderwald
May 13, 2016
Despite the advances of radio and television and increasing mobility and urbanization, spoken English is by no means becoming more like the written standard. English dialect grammar, however, is still a new and relatively undeveloped area of research, and most studies to date are either restricted ...
By Daniel Büring
April 27, 2016
This study provides an illuminating and ground-breaking account of the complex interaction of intonational phenomena, semantics and pragmatics. Based on examples from German and English, and centred on an analysis of the fall-rise intonation contour, a semantic interpretation for two different ...
By Ton van der Wouden
June 08, 2015
This research emphasizes semantic, syntactic and pragmatic considerations illustrating a wide array of linguistic approaches. Written from within the theoretical framework of Generalized Quantifiers, the three main areas considered are collocations, polarity items and multiple negations....
By Christine Günther
June 08, 2015
This book presents a detailed analysis of structural as well as pragmatic aspects underlying the phenomenon of noun ellipsis in English. Here Günther examines the structure of elliptical noun phrases to account for the conditions on noun ellipsis and those on one-insertion, with special emphasis on...
By Volker Gast
March 31, 2015
English self-forms and related words from other Germanic languages (e.g. Dutch zelf, Swedish själv, etc.) are used in two different functions: as ‘intensifiers’ (e.g. The president himself made the decision) and as markers of reflexivity (John criticized himself). On the basis of a comparative ...
By Florian Haas
February 27, 2015
Although the grammatical expression of reciprocal (or ‘mutual’) situations in the languages of the world has received a surprising amount of attention in recent years, so far no comprehensive study specifically dealing with the historical development and synchronic structure of English reciprocal ...
By D. J. Allerton
January 16, 2014
Constructions such as 'make an accusation against', or 'give one's approval for' can be seen as 'stretched' versions of simple verbs, such as 'accuse' or 'approve of'. What is the precise linguistic nature of stretched verbs, and how many basic types are there? What kinds of grammatical connections...
By Laura A. Michaelis
September 10, 2012
This study presents a semantic framework for analysing all aspectual constructions in terms of the event state distinction, and describes the grammatical expression of aspectual meaning in terms of a theory of grammatical constructions. In this theory, grammatical constructions, like words, are ...
Edited
By Benjamin Shaer, Philippa Cook, Werner Frey, Claudia Maienborn
August 15, 2011
This volume is about 'dislocation' – the removal of phrases from their canonical positions in a sentence to its left or right edge. Dislocation encompasses a wide range of linguistic phenomena, related to nominal and adverbial expressions and to the information structuring notions of topic and...
Edited
By Markku Filppula, Juhani Klemola, Heli Paulasto
December 22, 2008
In this book, contributors have been brought together to discuss the role of two major factors shaping the grammars of different varieties of English (and of other languages) all over the world: so-called vernacular universals and contact-induced change. Rather than assuming a general typological ...
By Markku Filppula, Juhani Klemola, Heli Paulasto
June 03, 2008
This book provides the first comprehensive account of the history and extent of Celtic influences in English. Drawing on both original research and existing work, it covers both the earliest medieval contacts and their linguistic effects and the reflexes of later, early modern and modern contacts, ...
Edited
By Peter Siemund
September 02, 2003
This book deals with expressions like English myself, yourself, himself and so on, and German selbst from a perspective of language comparison. It is the first book-length study of intensifiers ever written. The study investigates the syntax and semantics of these expressions and provides a ...