Carl Bache Books

„[...] this grammar presents a clear and coherent description of central parts of English grammar. It offers a wealth of information to the serious student.“Knud Sorensen in: English Studies, Nijmegen 1/2001

Focusing on functional linguistics, the book critically examines Halliday and Matthiessen's account of tense and aspect in English, arguing that it does not meet established functionalist standards. Drawing on evidence from a corpus linguistics project, the author, Bache, identifies several shortcomings in the standard model and advocates for its revision and expansion. This work serves as a valuable resource for practitioners and researchers seeking a deeper understanding of functionalist approaches to linguistics.

The future of English linguistics as envisaged by the editors of Topics in English Linguistics lies in empirical studies which integrate work in English linguistics into general and theoretical linguistics on the one hand, and comparative linguistics on the other. The TiEL series features volumes that present interesting new data and analyses, and above all fresh approaches that contribute to the overall aim of the series, which is to further outstanding research in English linguistics.

This book addresses some methodological problems in the study of tense, aspect and action: How should linguists go about describing these categories and with what terminology? How does our work in this area relate to descriptions of language(s) in general? What research strategies should be explored? Bache discusses the interaction between language-specific grammars and universal grammar, including the problems of analytic directionality, semantic minimalism, and the general metalanguage of universal grammar. The book has several sources of inspiration: generative linguistics, structuralist phonology, glossematics, functional grammar, cognitive semantics and prototype theory. Bache argues strongly for the inclusion of a paradigmatic dimension in the study of the semantics of morphosyntactic categories. Rather than adhering to one particular linguistic school, Bache provides a general description of tense, aspect and action in the form of generalizations that should be accommodated in any theory.

Research on language universals and linguistic typology are complementary approaches addressing the relationship between the diversity and unity of languages. Recognizing the extent of typological divergence is essential for formulating universal laws. Recent developments highlight the need for careful analysis of a wide range of languages before general theories can emerge. Typological comparison is now central to linguistic research. This series focuses on empirical approaches to language typology, providing a platform for diverse contributions in this evolving field. Its distinctive feature is a strong empirical orientation, with conclusions drawn from in-depth studies of empirical data. The series examines general problems through the lens of individual languages, families, groups, or samples, emphasizing the analysis of lesser-known languages that illuminate longstanding issues in general linguistics. Contributions from various theoretical perspectives are welcomed, reflecting the methodological pluralism of contemporary research. All volumes are designed to be accessible to linguists and readers interested in human language. A deeper understanding of language diversity is crucial for many sciences, making this series essential for research libraries specializing in language and language sciences. For inquiries or proposals, please contact Birgit Sievert.