The syntax of imperatives
By: Asier Alcázar, University of Missouri, Mario Saltarelli, University of Southern California
Contributors: Saltarelli, Mario
Series: Cambridge Studies in Linguistics -- 140
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2014
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 221
ISBN-13: 9781107005808
Subjects: Comparative and general Grammar; Imperative; Syntax; Language and languages; Grammars; LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / General
Description: "The imperative clause is one of three major sentence types that have been found to be universal across the languages of the world. Compared to declaratives and interrogatives, the imperative type has received diverse analyses in the literature. This cutting-edge study puts forward a new linguistic theory of imperatives, arguing that categories of the speech act, specifically Speaker and Addressee, are conceptually necessary for an adequate syntactic account. The book offers compelling empirical and descriptive evidence by surveying new typological data in critical assessment of competing hypotheses towards an indexical syntax of human language. An engaging read for students and researchers interested in linguistics, philosophy and the syntax of language"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 200-214) and indexes.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: 1. Introduction; 2. Imperatives across languages; 3. Foundations for an analysis of the imperative clause; 4. The syntax of imperative clauses: a performative hypothesis; 5. Basque allocutive agreement; 6. Conclusion.