内容

目次

Part 1 The form-function problem in linguistics: setting the stage witha (not totally) imaginary dialogue; the goals of this book; the twoorientations in modern linguistics; on the variety of generativistapproaches; on the variety of functionalist approaches; a look ahead. Part 2The boundaries of grammar: overview; the three autonomy hypotheses; theautonomy of syntax; the autonomy of knowledge of language with respect to useof language; the autonomy of grammar as a cognitive system; conclusion. Part3 Internal and external explanation in linguistics: overview; on explanationin linguistics, internal and external; internal explanation; externalexplanation; convincing and unconvincing external explanations; the problemof competing motivations; external explanation and the autonomy of syntax;conclusion. Part 4 On syntactic categories: prototypes, fuzzy categories andgrammatical theory; prototype theory and syntactic catagories; syntagmaticsimplicity and prototypes - an evaluation; paradigmatic complexity andprototypes - an evaluation; prototypes and markedness; the nonexistence offuzzy categories; against Langacker's notional definitions of "noun" and"verb"; conclusion; appendix on prototype constructions. Part 5Deconstructing grammaticalization: overview; grammaticalization - a capsuledescription; what is the "true nature" of grammaticalization?; theepiphenomenal nature of grammaticalization; on unidirectionality; two issuesin grammaticalization research; grammaticalization and generative grammar;conclusion. Part 6 Language typology and its difficulties: overview; thefield of language typology; barriers to language typology; what is to bedone?; formal prerequisites to typological analysis; implicationalhierarchies and a new argument for functionalism; typology and generativegrammar; summary. Part 7 Conclusion.