A primary goal of contemporary theoretical linguistics is to develop a theory of the correspondence between sound (or gesture) and meaning. This sound-meaning correspondence breaks down completely in the case of ellipsis, and yet various forms of ellipsis are pervasive in natural language: words and phrases which should be in the linguistic signal go missing. How this should be possible is the focus of Jason Merchant's investigation. He focuses on the form of ellipsis known as sluicing, a common feature of interrogative clauses, such as in 'Sally's out hunting - guess what!'; and 'Someone called, but I can't tell you who'. It is the most frequently found cross-linguistic form of ellipsis. Dr Merchant studies the phenomenon across twenty-four languages, and attempts to explain it in linguistic and behavioural terms.
| ISBN: | 9780199243730 |
| Publication date: | 16th August 2001 |
| Author: | Jason , Assistant Professor, Department of Linguistics, University of Chicago Merchant |
| Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 280 pages |
| Series: | Oxford Studies in Theoretical Linguistics |
| Genres: |
Semantics, discourse analysis, stylistics Grammar, syntax and morphology Translation and interpretation |
A primary goal of contemporary theoretical linguistics is to develop a theory of the correspondence between sound (or gesture) and meaning. This sound-meaning correspondence breaks down completely in the case of ellipsis, and yet various forms of ellipsis are pervasive in natural language: words and phrases which should be in the linguistic signal go missing. How this should be possible is the focus of Jason Merchant's investigation. He focuses on the form of ellipsis known as sluicing, a common feature of interrogative clauses, such as in 'Sally's out hunting - guess what!'; and 'Someone called, but I can't tell you who'. It is the most frequently found cross-linguistic form of ellipsis. Dr Merchant studies the phenomenon across twenty-four languages, and attempts to explain it in linguistic and behavioural terms.
The Syntax of Silence features in the following genres: Semantics, discourse analysis, stylistics, Grammar, syntax and morphology, Translation and interpretation
The Syntax of Silence is available in Paperback, Hardback
The Syntax of Silence was written by Jason , Assistant Professor, Department of Linguistics, University of Chicago Merchant and published by Oxford University Press
The Syntax of Silence has 280 pages
Yes it is part of Oxford Studies in Theoretical Linguistics series