Language Form and Language Function

Language Form and Language Function
Author :
Publisher : MIT Press
Total Pages : 452
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0262640449
ISBN-13 : 9780262640442
Rating : 4/5 (442 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Language Form and Language Function by : Frederick J. Newmeyer

Download or read book Language Form and Language Function written by Frederick J. Newmeyer and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The two basic approaches to linguistics are the formalist and the functionalist approaches. In this engaging monograph, Frederick J. Newmeyer, a formalist, argues that both approaches are valid. However, because formal and functional linguists have avoided direct confrontation, they remain unaware of the compatability of their results. One of the author's goals is to make each side accessible to the other. While remaining an ardent formalist, Newmeyer stresses the limitations of a narrow formalist outlook that refuses to consider that anything of interest might have been discovered in the course of functionalist-oriented research. He argues that the basic principles of generative grammar, in interaction with principles in other linguistic domains, provide compelling accounts of phenomena that functionalists have used to try to refute the generative approach.


Language Form and Language Function Related Books