The syntax of the be-possessive : parametric variation and surface diversities
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The syntax of the be-possessive : parametric variation and surface diversities
（Linguistik aktuell, v. 172）
John Benjamins, c2011
- : hbk
Available at 21 libraries
Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [249]-264) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
This book is the first attempt to provide a unified account of the be-possessive syntax and its extension to the modal and the perfect constructions in Russian/North Russian within a generative framework. Apparently diverse constructions are construed as deriving from the have/be parameter, which depends on the utilization of the prepositional complementizer with a Case feature. The be-perfect structure provides an adequate environment where ergativity is encoded via verbal nominalization. The relevance of the be-perfect structure for a split ergative pattern shows that the ergative system is a syntactically conditioned phenomenon rather than a purely morphological diversity. This volume also offers the diachronic study of the be-syntax, investigating the evolution of the be-perfect and be-modal constructions, which has rarely been explored within a formal framework. Concrete scenarios are proposed for the developmental paths of the be-perfect and the be-modal constructions, based on textual evidence in old North Russian.
Table of Contents
- 1. Acknowledgements
- 2. List of abbreviations
- 3. Chapter 1 Parametric variation in synchrony and diachrony
- 4. Chapter 2 The syntax of the be-possessive in Russian
- 5. Chapter 3 The consequences of the be-possessive structure: Modal and perfect
- 6. Chapter 4 The be-perfect and ergativity in North Russian
- 7. Chapter 5 Microvariations in Case and Agreement
- 8. Chapter 6 Thematic feature reduction: The historical extension of the syntax of the be-possessive to the be-modal
- 9. Chapter 7 Thematic feature reduction: The development of the -no/-to perfect
- 10. Chapter 8 Conclusion
- 11. Bibliography
- 12. Index
by "Nielsen BookData"