On understanding grammar

323 Pages·2018·2.671 MB·English

by  Talmy Givón

On Understanding
Grammar
Revised edition
T. Givón
John Benjamins Publishing Company
On Understanding Grammar

On Understanding Grammar
Revised edition
T. Givón
University of Oregon
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Amsterdam / Philadelphia
TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
8
the American National Standard for Information Sciences – Permanence
of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1984.
doi 10.1075/z.213
Cataloging-in-Publication Data available from Library of Congress:
lccn 2017045529 (print) / 2017052122 (e-book)
isbn 978 90 272 1252 8 (Hb)
isbn 978 90 272 6471 8 (e-book)
The first edition of Understanding Grammar was published with Academic Press in 1979.
© 2018 – T. Givón
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, or any
other means, without written permission from the publisher.
John Benjamins Publishing Company · https://benjamins.com
For Linda

Table of contents
Foreword to the 1979 edition xiii
Preface to the 1979 edition xv
Preface to the revised edition xix
Chapter 1
Fact, method and explanation: On the recalcitrant legacy of structuralism 1
1.1 Orientation 1
1.2 Saussure’s firewall 2
1.3 Structuralism and the philosophy of science 4
1.4 The three dogmas of structuralism 7
1.4.1 Arbitrariness 7
1.4.2 Idealization: Langue vs. parole 8
1.4.3 Segregation: Synchrony vs. diachrony 8
1.5 Latter-day structuralism 10
1.6 Explanatory biology: Aristotle revisited 11
1.7 Synchrony as diachrony 14
1.7.1 Example: The diachronic typology of passive constructions 15
1.7.2 The diachronic provenance of synchronic structural properties 19
1.7.3 Grammatical relations in the passive clause 21
1.8 Closure 22
Abbreviations of grammatical terms 24
Chapter 2
Toward a discourse definition of syntax:
The communicative correlates of grammar 25
2.1 Antecedence 25
2.2 The role of grammar in human information processing 27
2.2.1 Overview: The functional organization of language 27
2.2.2 The conceptual lexicon 28
2.2.3 Propositional information 29
2.2.4 Multi-propositional discourse 29
2.2.5 The interaction between words, propositions and discourse 29
viii On Understanding Grammar
2.3 The communicative function of grammar 32
2.3.1 Grammar as a structural code 33
2.3.2 Grammar as communicative function 35
2.4 Theme-and-variation in syntax and the markedness of clause-types 36
2.4.1 Overview 36
2.4.2 Theme and variations in syntax 37
2.4.3 The text-frequency distribution of major clause-types 39
2.5 The grammar of referential coherence 40
2.5.1 Preliminaries 40
2.5.2 Discourse structure and referential coherence 41
2.5.3 High-continuity devices 44
2.5.4 Low continuity devices 46
2.5.5 Quantitative text-distribution of referent-coding devices 49
2.5.6 Word order and referential continuity 55
2.6 Cataphoric aspects of topicality 61
2.6.1 Methodological preliminaries 61
2.6.2 Indefiniteness and cataphoric topicality 63
2.6.2.1 The semantics of reference 63
2.6.2.2 Th e numeral ‘one’ as an indefinite marker
in Modern Hebrew 67
2.6.2.3 The numeral ‘one’ as an indefinite marker in Krio 70
2.6.2.4 Th e demonstrative ‘this’ as an indefinite marker
in English 73
2.7 Voice constructions and cataphoric topicality 75
2.7.1 Anaphoric vs. catephoric zero 75
2.7.2 The functional domain of pragmatic voice 76
2.7.3 Cataphoric zero in passive clauses 78
2.7.3.1 Prelude: Typology and functional domains 78
2.7.3.2 Th e diachrony of the zeroed-out agents
in non-promotional passives 79
2.7.3.3 D iachrony of the zeroed-out agents
in promotional passives 82
2.8 Cataphoric zero in antipassive clauses 85
2.8.1 Functional definition of antipassive voice 85
2.8.2 A diachronic typology of zero in antipassives 86
2.8.3 Zero, incorporation, and the rise of antipassive morphology 88
2.9 Closure 91
Abbreviation of grammatical terms 92
Table of contents ix
Chapter 3
Negation in language: Between semantics and pragmatics 93
3.1 Logic, psycho-logic and pragmatics 93
3.2 The puzzling distributional restrictions on referring
indefinite objects 94
3.3 The communicative pragmatics of negation 100
3.4 Negative assertion as a distinct speech-act 102
3.5 The cognitive status of negation 103
3.5.1 Change vs. stasis 103
3.5.2 The ontology of negative events 104
3.5.3 The ontology of negative states 107
3.6 The scope of negation 108
3.6.1 Presupposition, assertion and negation 108
3.6.2 Negation and contrastive focus 110
3.6.3 Negation and optional constituents 111
3.6.4 Grammatical marking of the scope of assertion – and negation 112
3.7 Negation and social interaction 115
3.8 Closure 118
Abbreviations of grammatical terms 118
Chapter 4
The grammar of case: Semantic role, pragmatic function, morphology
and syntactic control 119
4.1 Introduction 119
4.2 Clausal participants and semantic roles 120
4.2.1 States, events, and actions 120
4.2.2 Semantic roles 121
4.2.3 Grammatical roles 123
4.2.4 Topicality and grammatical relations 124
4.3 The accessibility hierarchy: Government of complex construction 125
4.3.1 Preliminaries 125
4.3.2 Functional definition of relative clauses 126
4.3.2.1 A naphoric grounding: Restrictive rel-clauses
modifying definite head nouns 126
4.3.2.2 C ataphoroic grounding: Restrictive rel clause
modifying indefinite head nouns 127
4.3.2.3 A ncilliary asserted information:
Non-restrictive rel-clauses 128