Elena Maslova, Curriculum Vitae: Teaching

Syntactic Typology

Elena Maslova, Summer Semester 1998, University of Bielefeld

Course Overview

Reading list

This course is an introduction to the typological study of syntax, with particular reference to methodological foundations of language typology and theoretical implications of linguistic diversity.

Course Overview

Topic	Reading assignments
Introduction. Definitions and scope of typology	Comrie 1989: Ch.1-2; Croft 1990: Ch.1-2.
Methods and Approaches	Croft 1990: Ch.8; Shibatani & Bynon 1995b; Nichols 1992; Greenberg 1995
Sampling	Bell 1978; Dryer 1989; Perkins 1989; Rijkhoff et al. 1993
Basic notions. Cross-linguistic comparability	Comrie 1989: Ch.3; Dryer 1997; Fillmore 1968; Keenan 1976; Nichols 1986; Andrews 1985.
Subject vs. Topic	Chafe 1976; Comrie 1989: Ch.5; Li & Thompson 1976; Foley & Van Valin 1984; Schachter 1976
Ergativity	Comrie 1989: Ch.5-6; Dixon 1994; Keenan 1984; Du Bois 1987
Voice	Croft 1990: Ch.4; Fox & Hopper 1994; Keenan 1985; Myhill 1992: Ch.4; Shibatani 1988
Word Order Typology	Comrie 1989: Ch.4; Greenberg 1963; Dryer 1988; 1992; Hawkins 1983: Ch.1-2; Tomlin 1986.
Word Order and Information Structure	Foley & Van Valin 1985; Lambrecht 1994; Myhill 1992: Ch.5; Sasse 1987.
Interpretations and Explanations	Comrie 1989: 10.4; Croft 1990: Ch.6, 9; Haiman 1983; Hyman 1984

Course books

Comrie, Bernard. 1989.

Language universals and linguistic typology: Syntax and morphology. Oxford: Blackwell, 2nd edn.

Croft, William. 1990.

Typology and universals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Shopen, Tymothy (ed.) 1985.

Language typology and syntactic description. Vol. 1. Clause structure. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

References for reading assignments

References for further reading: Themes in Typology: Basic Reading List, by FRANS PLANK

References

Andrews, A. 1985: The major functions of the noun phrase. In: Shopen 1985, vol.1, 62-154.
Bell, A. 1978.: Language samples. In: Greenberg et al. 1978, vol. 1, 123-156.
Butterworth, B., B. Comrie, & O.Dahl 1984.: Explanations for Language Universals. Berlin et al.: Mouton Publishers.
Chafe, W. L. 1976.: Givenness, contrastiveness, definiteness, subjects, topics, and points of view. In: Li (ed.): 25-55.
Dixon, R.M.W. 1994.: Ergativity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Dryer, M.S. 1989.: Large linguistic areas and language sampling. Studies in Language 13, 257-292.
Dryer, M. S. 1988.: Object-verb order and adjective-noun order: dispelling a myth. Lingua, 74, 185-217.
Dryer, M. S. 1992.: The Greenbergian Word Order Correlations. Language, 68, 81-138.
Dryer, M.S. 1997.: Are grammatical relations universal? In: Essays on language function and language type: Dedicated to T. Givón, ed. by J. Bybee, J. Haiman, & S.A. Thompson, 115-143. Amsterdam: Benjamins.
Du Bois, J. 1987.: The discourse basis of ergativity. Language 63, 805-855.
Fillmore, Ch. J. 1968.: The case for case. In: Bach, E. & R. T. Harms (eds.). Universals in linguistic theory, 1-88. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Foley, W.A., and R.D. Van Valin, Jr. 1984.: Functional syntax and universal grammar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, CHPT.
Foley, W.A., and R.D. Van Valin, Jr. 1984.: Information packaging in the clause. In: Shopen 1985, vol.1, 282-364.
Fox, B. & P.J. Hopper (eds.) 1994.: Voice: Form and function. Amsterdam: Benjamins.
Greenberg, J.H. 1963.: Some universals of grammar with particular reference to the order of meaningful elements. In: Universals of language, ed. by J.H. Greenberg, 73-113. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Greenberg, J.H. 1995.: The Diachronic Typological Approach to Language.
Greenberg, J.H., C.A. Ferguson, E.A. Moravcsik (eds.) 1978.: Universals of human language. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 4 vols.
Haiman, J. 1983.: Iconic and Economic Motivation. Language, 59, 781-819.
Hyman, L. M. 1984.: Form and Substance in Language Universals. In: Butterworth et al. 1984, 67-86.
Hawkins, J.A. 1983.: Word order universals. New York: Academic Press.
Keenan, E. L. 1976.: Towards a universal definition of subject. In: Li 1976, 303-333.
Keenan, E.L. 1984.: Semantic correlates of the ergative/absolutive distinction. Linguistics 22, 197-223.
Keenan, E.L. 1985.: Passive in the world's languages. In: Shopen 1985, vol. 1, 243-281.
Lambrecht, K. 1994.: Information structure and sentence form. Cambridge studies in linguistics. Cambridge University Press.
Li, Ch. N. (ed.) 1976.: Subject and topic. New York: Academic Press.
Li, Ch.N. and S.A.Thompson. 1976.: Subject and topic: A new typology of language. In: Li 1976, 457-490.
Myhill, J. 1992.: Typological Discourse Analysis: Quantitative Approaches to the Study of Linguistic Function. Blackwell.
Nichols, J. 1986.: Head-marking and dependent-marking grammar. Language 62, 56-119.
Nichols, J. 1992.: Linguistic diversity in space and time. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Perkins, R.D. 1989.: Statistical techniques for determining language sample size. Studies in Language 13, 293-315.
Rijkhoff, J., D. Bakker, K. Hengeveld, & P. Kahrel. 1993.: A method of language sampling. Studies in Language 17, 169-203.
Rijkhoff, J. & D. Bakker. 1998.: Language sampling. Linguistic Typology 2, 262-314.
Sasse, H.-J. 1987.: The thetic/categorical distinction revisited. Linguistics 25/3, 511-580.
Schachter, P. 1976.: The Subject in Philippine Languages: Topic, Actor, Actor-Topic, or None of the Above. In: Li 1976, 491-518.
Shibatani, M. (ed.) 1988.: Passive and voice. Amsterdam: Benjamins.
Shibatani, M. & T. Bynon (eds.) 1995(a).: Approaches to language typology.
Shibatani, M & T. Bynon 1995(b).: Approaches to Language Typology: A Conspectus. In: Shibatani & Bynon 1995a, 1-25
Siewierska, A. 1984.: The passive: A comparative linguistic analysis. London: Croom Helm.
Tomlin, R.S. 1986.: Basic word order: Functional principles. London: Croom Helm.