Subject collection: Linguistics (2,773 titles, 1967–2015)

Apart from the coverage given to it in the grammars, number in English nouns has received relatively little attention, especially in the area of theoretical considerations. Guided by the principles of psychomechanics, Hirtle (1982a) put forth a fairly elaborate theory of number in English nouns. The aim of this work is to provide evidence to validate parts of Hirtle's theory, to verify some of his analyses, and to investigate several problems, some of which are mentioned in his work as subjects for further research. Specific areas treated are ailment nouns, liquid names, ending in -ings, binary objects, abstract -s, and external singulars.

The pioneering work of Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm in the areas of Germanic comparative and historical linguistics, lexicography, philology, and medieval studies places them squarely among the most important figures in the history of the language sciences. The contributions to this volume present a fascinating and timely reevaluation and reaffirmation of the significance of the Grimm Brothers' work in these areas, all of which the Grimms viewed as necessary components in their search for the essence of the German and Germanic Volksgeist.

This volume seeks to present ‘Germanic philology’ with its main linguistic, literary and cultural subdivisions as a whole, and to call into question the customary pedagogical division of the discipline.

Es war kein Zufall, daß das achte Fachkolloquium der Indogermanischen Gesellschaft (1981) in Freiburg im Breisgau stattfand, – es war, wie dieser Band, dem Kollegen, Freund und Lehrer Oswald Szemerényi gewidmet, der das letzte Jahr seiner Amtszeit als Hochschullehrer angetreten hatte. Eher zufälliger Art war die Wahl des Themas: es sollte ein Bereich sein, der Szemerényi's Arbeitsgebieten nahestand und ihn besonders interessierte, – da hatte nun nahezu jedes Teilgebiet der Indogermanistik eine Chance gewählt zu werden, und wir entschieden uns schließlich für das Germanische: hier waren nicht nur profilierte Forscher zu gewinnen, es war auch lange nicht mehr Gegenstand eines indogermanistischen Gesprächs gewesen, obwohl doch jeder Vertreter unseres Fachs zumindest in seiner Lehrtätigkeit ständig mit den Zusammenhängen zwischen Germanisch und Indogermanisch zu tun hat. Das Ergebnis hat uns recht gegeben: die Fülle von im vollen Sinne indogermanistischen Fragestellungen, die sich aus der Arbeit an der historisch-vergleichenden Beschreibung germanischer Sprachen ergibt, hat die Fachleute und die Gäste unter den Teilnehmern beeindruckt, und eine lebhafte und substanzreiche Diskussion hat den Vortragenden an Ort und Stelle das Interesse bewiesen, das ihren Forschungen entgegengebracht wird.

The Glasgow ‘toonheid vernacular’ is certainly the most vital and widespread – if least prestigious – form of present-day Scots. No comprehensive description has existed so far, Macauley’s sociolinguistic research having barely scratched the surface. Caroline Macafee’s long introduction to the emergence and present distribution of the variety is not only a memorable feat in itself, it is also closely related to the 73 texts, which include a substantial portion of natural speech and an impressive array of naturalistic and stereotyped language as used in poetry, drama and literary prose.

This study is a discussion of, rather than a contribution to, generative phonology. The central question posed, is: Does linguistic theory provide a basis for choosing between competing grammars — that is, an evaluation procedure for grammars? If so, then what is its form? If not, then how are we to interpret controversies between linguists as to the relative merits of competing grammars? These issues will be discussed in relation to a particular problem of evaluation in the treatment of the morphonology of final segments in Modern French.

This guide provides brief descriptions and evaluations of the best reference grammars and comprehensive works on the syntax of contemporary French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, and Rumanian.