Introduction to Modern Philosophy
C. E. M. Joad(Author)
OUP India (Publisher)
Book
Hardback
112 pages
978-0-19-824136-2 (ISBN)
Description
Akkadian is one of the earliest attested languages and the oldest recorded Semitic language. It exists in written record between 2500BC and 500BC, much of it in letters and reports concerned with domestic and business matters, and written in colloquial language. It provides a unique and valuable source for the study of linguistic change but which, perhaps because of the impenetrability of its writing system, has rarely been exploited by linguists. In this book, Guy Deutscher examines the historical development of subordinate structures in Akkadian. A case study comprises the first two parts of the book, presenting an historical grammar of sentential complementation. Part I traces the emergence of new structures and describes how the finite complements first emerged in Babylonian. It also explains the grammaticalization of the quotative construction. Part II is a functional history which examines the changes in the functional roles of different structures. It shows how, during the history of the language, finite complements and embedded questions became more widespread, whereas other structures (e.g. infinite complements, parataxis, etc.) receded.
This book is intended for general linguists (mainly with functional/cognitive orientation), historical linguists, Assyriologists, Orientalists, and scholars working on Semitic languages.
This book is intended for general linguists (mainly with functional/cognitive orientation), historical linguists, Assyriologists, Orientalists, and scholars working on Semitic languages.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Delhi
India
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
1 halftone, 4 tables
Dimensions
Height: 190 mm
Width: 130 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-19-824136-2 (9780198241362)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Content
Part I: Preliminary Chapters. Chapter 1: Introduction. Chapter 2: What is Sentential Complementation?. Chapter 3: Akkadian. Part II: Structural History: The emergence of complementizers and quotatives. Chapter 4: The Emergence of Finite Complements. Chapter 5: The Grammaticalization of the Quotative Construction. Part III: Functional History: The changes in the functional domain of complementation from 2500BC to 500BC. Chapter 6: The Functional Domain of Complementation in Babylonian. Chapter 7: Verbs of Knowledge, Perception, and Others. Chapter 8: Manipulation and Modality. Chapter 9: The WH-Functional Domain, Direct and Indirect Questions. Part IV: The Development of Complementation as an Adaptive Process. Chapter 10: Functional Parallels for the Babylonian Development. Chapter 11: The Development of Complementation as an Adaptive Process