Morphosyntax
Constructions of the World's Languages

Taking a functional approach, this book provides a thorough overview of Morphosyntax, and sets out a framework for syntactic constructions.

William Croft (Author)

9781107474611, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 4 August 2022

726 pages
24.5 x 16.8 x 3.8 cm, 1.25 kg

Bringing together the results of sixty years of research in typology and universals, this textbook presents a comprehensive survey of Morphosyntax - the combined study of syntax and morphology. Languages employ extremely diverse morphosyntactic strategies for expressing functions, and Croft provides a comprehensive functional framework to account for the full range of these constructions in the world's languages. The book explains analytical concepts that serve as a basis for cross-linguistic comparison, and provides a rich source of descriptive data that can be analysed within a range of theories. The functional framework is useful to linguists documenting endangered languages, and those writing reference grammars and other descriptive materials. Each technical term is comprehensively explained, and cross-referenced to related terms, at the end of each chapter and in an online glossary. This is an essential resource on Morphosyntax for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and linguistic fieldworkers.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Grammatical Constructions, Semantic Classes and Information Packaging
2. Propositional Act Constructions: The Skeleton of a Sentence
Part II. Argument Phrase Structure: Reference and Modification: 3. Reference and Referent Expressions
4. Modification: Semantic Types and Morphosyntactic Strategies
5. The Structure and Origin of Modification Constructions
Part III. Clause Structure: Predication and Arguments: 6. Event Structure and Argument Coding: Semantics, Transitivity and Alignment
7. Event Structure and Nonprototypical Argument Coding
8. Argument Coding and Voice: Discourse Factors
9. Argument Coding and Voice: Salience of Peripheral Participants
10. Nonprototypical Predication and Nonpredicational Clauses
11. Information Packaging in Clauses
12. Speech Act Constructions
13. Eventive Complex Predicates and Related Constructions
14. Stative Complex Predicates, including Manner
Part IV. Complex Sentences: 15. Temporal and Causal Relations Between Events: Coordinate Clause and Adverbial Clause Constructions
16. Reference-tracking in Coordinate and Adverbial Clause Constructions
17. Other Semantic Relations Between Events: Comparative, Conditional, and Concessive
18. Events as Arguments: Complement Clause Constructions
19. Events as Modifiers: Relative Clause Constructions.

Subject Areas: Grammar, syntax & morphology [CFK]