Language Typology

by Alice Caffarel-Cayron (Editor), J.R. Martin (Editor), Christian M.I.M. Matthiessen (Editor)

This book is intended as a systemic functional contribution to language typology both for those who would like to understand and describe particular languages against the background of generalizations about a wide range of languages and also for those who would like to develop typological accounts that are based on and embody descriptions of the systems of particular languages (rather than isolated constructions). The book is a unique contribution in at least two respects. On the one hand, it is the first book based on systemic functional theory that is specifically concerned with language typology. On the other hand, the book combines the particular with the general in the description of it presents comparable sketches of particular languages while at the same time identifying generalizations based on the languages described here as well as on other languages. The volume explores eight languages, covering seven language French, German, Pitjantjatjara, Tagalog, Telugu, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Japanese.

716 pages, Hardcover

First published December 23, 2004