Typology And Universals

Comparison of the grammars of human languages reveals systematic patterns ofvariation. Typology and universals research uncovers those patterns toformulate univ... » 

Comparison of the grammars of human languages reveals systematic patterns ofvariation. Typology and universals research uncovers those patterns toformulate universal constraints on language and seek their exploration. In thisessential textbook William Croft presents a comprehensive introduction to themethod and theory used in studying typology and universals. The theoreticalissues discussed range from the most fundamental to the most abstract. The bookprovides students and researchers with extensive examples of languageuniversals in phonology morphology syntax and semantics. This second editionhas been thoroughly rewritten and updated to reflect advances in typology anduniversals in the past decade including new methodologies such as thesemantic map model and questions of syntactic argumentation discussion ofcurrent debates over deeper explanations for specific classes of universalsand comparison of the typological and generative approaches to language. «