The Emergence of Grammars

What is a grammar? What types of grammar are possible in natural languages? Why and to what extent do grammatical properties vary from one language to another? This book gathers ten original contributions on the phonology and morphosyntax of various languages, which, from several complementary angles, contribute to the general debate on the genesis and structure of grammars. Their common thread is the logical relationship between general theory and particular grammar(s). Basing their reflections on the careful study of various empirical materials (from Lithuanian, Gothic, Sanskrit, Nakanai, Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian, Finnic languages, Atlantic Languages, Proto-Western Arabic and Maltese, to Occitan, Medieval French, Medieval and Modern Italo-Romance), the general and common angle to these contributions is to describe and model variation in grammar. The contributions help to show how grammar is structured at different levels of linguistic analysis and how syntactic, morphological and phonological theories are mutually enriched by work carried out at their interface. The book, which combines theoretical linguistics with a great concern for detailed description, is intended for all general linguists interested in phonology, morphology, syntax and typological variation.