An Areal Typology of Agreement Systems

The first areal-typological exploration of agreement systems in the world's languages.

Ranko Matasovi? (Author)

9781108413084, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 24 September 2020

215 pages, 3 b/w illus. 14 maps 21 tables
23 x 15 x 1.5 cm, 0.32 kg

Surveying over 300 languages, this typological study presents new theoretical insights into the nature of agreement, as well as empirical findings about the distribution of agreement patterns in the world's languages. Focussing primarily on agreement in gender, number and person, but with reference to agreement in other smaller categories, Ranko Matasovi? aims to discover which patterns of agreement are widespread and common in languages, and which are rather limited in their distribution. He sheds new light on a range of important theoretical questions such as what agreement actually is, what areal, typological and genetic patterns exist across agreement systems, and what problems in the analysis of agreement remain unresolved.

1. Introduction
2. What is agreement?
3. Domains of agreement and categories involved
4. Problems with agreement
5. Grammatical, ambiguous and anaphoric agreement
6. Marginal agreement
7. The sample of languages
8. Areal and genetic patterns in agreement systems
9. Typological correlations in agreement systems
10. Diachronic patterns in the development of agreement
11. Conclusions.

Subject Areas: Grammar, syntax & morphology [CFK], Historical & comparative linguistics [CFF], Linguistics [CF], Language [C]