Definiteness

Hardback

Main Details

Title Definiteness
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Christopher Lyons
SeriesCambridge Textbooks in Linguistics
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:402
Dimensions(mm): Height 229,Width 152
Category/GenreGrammar and syntax
ISBN/Barcode 9780521362825
ClassificationsDewey:415
Audience
Professional & Vocational
Tertiary Education (US: College)
Illustrations 7 Line drawings, unspecified

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 13 March 1999
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

This textbook investigates definiteness both from a comparative and a theoretical point of view, showing how languages express definiteness and what definiteness is. It surveys a large number of languages to discover the range of variation in relation to definiteness and related grammatical phenomena, such as demonstratives, possessives and personal pronouns. It outlines work done on the nature of definiteness in semantics, pragmatics and syntax, and develops an account on which definiteness is a grammatical category represented in syntax as a functional head (the widely discussed D). Consideration is also given to the origins and evolution of definite articles in the light of the comparative and theoretical findings. Among the claims advanced are that definiteness does not occur in all languages, though the pragmatic concept which it grammaticalizes probably does.