This book argues that language is a network of concepts which in turn is part of the general cognitive network of the mind. It challenges the widely-held view that language is an innate mental module with its own special internal organization. It shows that language has the same internal organization as other areas of knowledge such as social relations and action schemas, and reveals the rich links between linguistic elements and contextual categories. Professor Hudson presents a new theory of how we learn and use our knowledge of language. He puts this to work in a series of extended explorations of morphology, syntax, semantics, and sociolinguistics. Every step of his argument and exposition is illustrated with examples, including the kind mainstream theory finds it hard to analyse. He introduces the latest version of his influential theory of Word Grammar and shows how it can be used to explain the operations of language and as a key to understanding the associated operations of the mind.
Author(s): Richard Hudson
Series: Oxford Linguistics
Edition: illustrated edition
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Year: 2007
Language: English
Commentary: 87035
Pages: 288
Contents......Page 6
1 Preface......Page 8
1.1 Conceptual Networks......Page 14
1.2 Classification and the Isa Relation......Page 23
1.3 Quantity, Optionality, and ‘Variables’......Page 31
1.4 Multiple Default Inheritance......Page 34
1.5 Logic......Page 44
1.6 Spreading Activation......Page 49
1.7 Processing......Page 54
1.8 Learning......Page 65
1.9 Evaluating the Theory......Page 72
2.1 Outline......Page 76
2.2 Lexemes, Inflections, and Features......Page 81
2.3 Words, Forms, Phonology, and Realization......Page 85
2.4 Variants and Syncretism......Page 94
2.5 Derivation and Inflection......Page 100
2.6 Compounding......Page 106
2.7 Morphological Structure......Page 109
2.8 Fused Words......Page 113
2.9 Clitics......Page 117
2.10 A Summary of Morphological Categories......Page 128
3.1 Dependency Structure, not Phrase Structure......Page 130
3.2 Word Order, Landmarks, Precedence Agreement......Page 143
3.3 Selection and Constructions......Page 164
3.4 Agreement and Features......Page 170
3.5 Dependency Types and Constructions......Page 173
3.6 Mixed Categories......Page 180
3.7 Unrealized Words and Ellipsis......Page 185
3.8 A Summary of Syntactic Categories......Page 194
4.1 Introduction......Page 196
4.2 The Challenge of English Gerunds......Page 197
4.3 Previous Analyses......Page 201
4.4 Noun Classes and Noun Phrases......Page 203
4.5 Gerunds as Nouns......Page 210
4.6 Gerunds as Verbs......Page 212
4.7 The Debris of History: Possessives and No/Any......Page 215
4.8 The Route from Old English......Page 219
4.9 Conclusion......Page 223
5.1 Meaning......Page 224
5.2 Language, Ontology, Signals and Symbols......Page 227
5.3 Evolution and Meaning......Page 232
5.4 Referents, Definiteness, Binding, Negation, and Tense......Page 237
5.5 Plurals, Quantifiers, and Sets......Page 241
5.6 Semantic Relations and Recycling......Page 245
5.7 Power and Solidarity......Page 249
5.8 Languages, Stereotypes, and Code-Mixing......Page 252
5.9 Acts of Identity and Inherent Variability......Page 259
References......Page 262
B......Page 278
C......Page 279
E......Page 280
H......Page 281
L......Page 282
M......Page 283
P......Page 284
R......Page 285
S......Page 286
V......Page 287
Z......Page 288