Re: Books

On Wednesday 30 July 2003 07:46 pm, Thomas R. Wier wrote:
> Quoting Doug Dee <AmateurLinguist@...>:
>
> > ianspackman@BTINTERNET.COM writes:
> >
> > > And while I'm at it, are there any other books essential to the
> > > conlanger's bookshelf?  (Not that I can afford many, but I can
> > > probably stretch to another one if sufficiently recommeded!
> >
> > I can't think of anything really _essential_, but some books I'd
recommend
> > are:
> >
> > _Gender_ by Greville Corbett
> > _Number_ by Greville Corbett
> > _Case_ by Barry J. Blake
> > _Ergativity_ by RMW Dixon
>
> Right -- the Cambridge series is truly excellent for introduction
> to basic typological issues.  Some other ones I've found interesting /
> think would be useful are:
>
> _Case_ by Barry Blake
> _Tense_ by Bernard Comrie
> _Definiteness_ by Christopher Lyons
> _Mood and Modality_ by F. R. Palmer
> _Grammatical Roles and Relations_ by F. R. Palmer
> (This last one especially should probably be read before reading
> Dixon's _Ergativity_, as the latter is not a textbook so much as
> a scholarly monograph)
>
> I personally have not enjoyed Van Valin's volume _Syntax_ as it
> is too closely associated with a particular syntactic theory.
>
I'd like to add:
_Indefinite Pronouns_ Martin Haspelmath (Oxford, not Cambridge...)
_Evolution of Grammar_ by Joan Bybee & others (Chicago) [very helpful
discussion of the relationships between tense, aspect, modality, & mood
across a range of languages & time]
& I second all of the ones above, though I don't think I actually own
Dixon on Ergativity. Must correct this situation at once!
-Sylvia

--
Sylvia Sotomayor
sylvia1@ix.netcom.com
kelen@ix.netcom.com

Kélen language info can be found at:
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