Explanation in Typology: Diachronic Sources, Functional Motivations and the Nature of the Evidence book cover
Language · 2019 · English

Explanation in Typology: Diachronic Sources, Functional Motivations and the Nature of the Evidence

by Karsten Schmidtke-Bode, Natalia Levshina, Susanne Maria Michaelis

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Why do similar grammatical patterns appear in unrelated languages? This collection examines explanations based on the histories of linguistic structures and explanations based on the functions those structures serve.

Chapters address word order, grammaticalization, adverbial clauses, case marking, possessive forms and methods for testing proposed universals. The contributors ask what historical evidence can establish and how functional pressures might interact with change. The complete volume combines theoretical discussion, methodological arguments and language-based case studies, ending with a synthesis of the debate.

Karsten Schmidtke-Bode, Natalia Levshina, Susanne Maria Michaelis and Ilja A. Seržant (editors). Explanation in Typology. Language Science Press, 2019. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2583788. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Cover and design: Ulrike Harbort. Typesetting: Karsten Schmidtke-Bode and Sebastian Nordhoff. Original notices retained.