The Semantics of Clause Linking A Cross-Linguistic Typology

This book is a cross-linguistic examination of the different grammatical means languages employ to represent a general set of semantic relations between clauses. The investigations focus on ways of combining clauses other than through relative and complement clause constructions. These span a number of types of semantic linking. Three, for example, describe varieties of consequence -- cause, result, and purpose -- which may be illustrated in English by, respectively: Because John has been studying German for years, he speaks it well; John has been studying German for years, thus he speaks it well; and John has been studying German for years, in order that he should speak it well. Syntactic descriptions of languages provide a grammatical analysis of clause types.

The chapters in this book add the further dimension of semantics, generally in the form of focal and supporting clauses, the former referring to the central activity or state of the biclausal linking; and the latter to the clause attached to it. The supporting clause may set out the temporal milieu for the focal clause or specify a condition or presupposition for it or a preliminary statement of it, as in Although John has been studying German for years (the supporting clause), he does not speak it well (the focal clause). Professor Dixon's extensive opening discussion is followed by fourteen case studies of languages ranging from Korean and Kham to Iquito and Ojibwe. The book's concluding synthesis is provided by Professor Aikhenvald.

R. M. W. Dixon, PhD(London), LittD(ANU), FBA has taught at University College London, Harvard University, and the Australian National University, and is currently Adjunct Professor within the Cairns Institute at James Cook University in tropical North Queensland, Australia. He is the author of 20 scholarly monographs and 125 papers on linguistics, and editor or co-editor of 20 more volumes. Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald, PhD (Russian Academy of Sciences), DLitt(La Trobe), FAHA has worked at The Institute of Oriental Studies in Moscow, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina in Brazil, and the Australian National University, and is now Professor and Research Leader (People and Societies of the Tropics) in the Cairns Institute at James Cook University. She is the author of 12 scholarly monographs, and over 150 papers on linguistics, and co-editor or editor of 15 more volumes.