The Evolution of Negation : Beyond the Jespersen Cycle

Richard Ingham

ISBN 10: 3110238608 / ISBN 13: 9783110238600

Published by De Gruyter Mouton, De Gruyter, 2011

About this Item

Druck auf Anfrage Neuware - Printed after ordering - Why do grammars change The cycle of negation proposed by Jespersen is crucially linked to the status of items and phrases. The definition of criteria establishing when a polarity item becomes a negative element, and the identification of the role of phrases for the evolution of negation are the two objectives pursued by the contributions to this volume. The contributions look at the emergence of negative items, and their relation within a given sentence, with particular reference to English and French. The comparative perspective supports the documentation of the fine-grained steps that shed light on the factors that (i) determine change and those that (ii) accompany actuation, which are considered through a dialogue between functionalist and formalist approaches. By looking at the place of negation in the architecture of the sentence, they take up the debate as to the relevance of phrasal projections and consider the role of features. Focusing on the make-up of individual items makes it possible to re-conceptualise the Jespersen cycle as the apparent result of the documented evolution patterns of individual (series of) items. This novel perspective is solidly grounded on an extensive use of the complete, up to date bibliography, and will contribute to shape future research.

Seller Inventory # 9783110238600

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Evolution of Negation : Beyond the Jespersen Cycle
• Publisher: De Gruyter Mouton, De Gruyter
• Publication Date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3110238608
• ISBN 13: 9783110238600
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 236W x 160H x 25D millimeters 236 millimeters width by 160 millimeters height by 25 millimeters depth
• Weight: 685 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Why do grammars change? The cycle of negation proposed by Jespersen is crucially linked to the status of items and phrases. The definition of criteria establishing when a polarity item becomes a negative element, and the identification of the role of phrases for the evolution of negation are the two objectives pursued by the contributions to this volume.

The contributions look at the emergence of negative items, and their relation within a given sentence, with particular reference to English and French. The comparative perspective supports the documentation of the fine-grained steps that shed light on the factors that (i) determine change and those that (ii) accompany actuation, which are considered through a dialogue between functionalist and formalist approaches. By looking at the place of negation in the architecture of the sentence, they take up the debate as to the relevance of phrasal projections and consider the role of features. Focusing on the make-up of individual items makes it possible to re-conceptualise the Jespersen cycle as the apparent result of the documented evolution patterns of individual (series of) items. This novel perspective is solidly grounded on an extensive use of the complete, up to date bibliography, and will contribute to shape future research.

About the Author

Pierre Larrivée, Aston University, Coventry, UK; Richard Ingham, Birmingham City University, UK.