Hierarchies, Targets and Controllers: Agreement Patterns in Slavic

by Greville Corbett

Agreement is a notorious problem for linguistic theory. The phenomenon is particularly challenging in Slavic, with a wide range of variations both within and between languages. Each of the main areas of difficulty is analyzed in this book. These agreement with conjoined noun phrases, with quantified expressions, and with honorific pronouns, and the unexplored question of triple agreement systems. The aim is to demonstrate general claims that hold true for data showing variations across space and through time (dialect data, diachronic change, different language varieties, and differences between languages are considered). Some of the claims relate to the element which marks agreement (the target). Certain claims are linked into implicational chains termed "hierarchies" (several have been presented as as universals previously). The new step taken in this book is to demonstrate the way in which these various restrictions on agreement interact.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1983