This series offers concise, single-authored surveys of rapidly evolving areas within theoretical and empirical linguistics. Aimed at advanced students and researchers, each volume provides an efficient overview and entry point into primary literature on topics of significant interest. The books are written by recognized authorities, ensuring clear and well-organized content. They feature tight structuring and detailed indexes for easy navigation and understanding.
Phase Theory is the latest empirical and conceptual innovation in syntactic theory within the Chomskyan generative tradition. Adopting a cross-linguistic perspective, this book provides an introduction to Phase Theory, tracing the development of phases in minimalist syntax.
Exploring the significance of pitch variation across languages, this book examines how speakers modulate their voice to convey meaning and structure in communication. It highlights the role of pitch in encoding lexical tone, which helps distinguish morphemes and words, as well as intonation, which adds layers of meaning to utterances. Through diverse linguistic examples, the text illustrates the integration of these pitch modulations into the grammatical frameworks of different languages.
The relationship between verbs and their arguments is a widely debated topic in linguistics. This comprehensive survey provides an overview of this important research area, exploring theories of how a verb's semantics can determine the morphosyntactic realization of its arguments. Assuming a close connection between verb meaning and syntactic structure, the analysis constructs a bridge between lexical-semantic and syntactic research. Synthesizing work results from a range of linguistic subdisciplines and a variety of theoretical frameworks, it will be invaluable to research in syntax, semantics, and related fields.