Demonstratives in Cross-Linguistic Perspective

Stephen C. Levinson, Sarah Cutfield, Michael J. Dunn, N. J. Enfield, Sérgio Meira

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781108424288
• eBook ISBN: 9781108342599
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Linguistics
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Demonstratives play a crucial role in the acquisition and use of language. Bringing together a team of leading scholars this detailed study, a first of its kind, explores meaning and use across fifteen typologically and geographically unrelated languages to find out what cross-linguistic comparisons and generalizations can be made, and how this might challenge current theory in linguistics, psychology, anthropology and philosophy. Using a shared experimental task, rounded out with studies of natural language use, specialists in each of the languages undertook extensive fieldwork for this comparative study of semantics and usage. An introduction summarizes the shared patterns and divergences in meaning and use that emerge.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Series page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• List of Contributors
• Preface
• 1 Introduction: Demonstratives: Patterns in Diversity
• 2 The Demonstrative Questionnaire: “THIS” and “THAT” in Comparative Perspective
• 3 Lao Demonstrative Determiners Nii[sup(4)] and Nan[sup(4)]: An Intensionally Discrete Distinction for Extensionally Analogue Space
• 4 Dalabon Exophoric Uses of Demonstratives
• 5 Brazilian Portuguese: Non-contrastive Exophoric Use of Demonstratives in the Spoken Language
• 6 “See This Sitting One”: Demonstratives and Deictic Classifiers in Goemai
• 7 Tzeltal: The Demonstrative System
• 8 Yucatec Demonstratives in Interaction: Spontaneous versus Elicited Data
• 9 Lavukaleve: Exophoric Usage of Demonstratives
• 10 Tiriyó: Non-contrastive Exophoric Uses of Demonstratives
• 11 Trumai: Non-contrastive Exophoric Uses of Demonstratives
• 12 Saliba-Logea: Exophoric Demonstratives
• 13 Warao Demonstratives
• 14 Chukchi: Non-contrastive Spatial Demonstrative Usage
• 15 Yélî Dnye: Demonstratives in the Language of Rossel Island, Papua New Guinea
• 16 Tidore: Non-contrastive Demonstratives
• 17 The Jahai Multi-term Demonstrative System: What’s Spatial about It?
• Index