The Aesthetics of Grammar
Cambridge University Press
Edition: Bilingual, 11/28/2013
EAN 9781107007123, ISBN10: 1107007127
Hardcover, 308 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm
Language: English
The languages of mainland Southeast Asia evidence an impressive array of elaborate grammatical resources, such as echo words, phonaesthetic words, chameleon affixes, chiming derivatives, onomatopoeic forms, ideophones and expressives. Speakers of these languages fashion grammatical works of art in order to express and convey emotions, senses, conditions and perceptions that enrich discourse. This book provides a detailed comparative overview of the mechanisms by which aesthetic qualities of speech operate as part of speakers' grammatical knowledge. Each chapter focuses on a different language and explores the grammatical information of a number of well- and lesser-known languages from mainland Southeast Asia. It will be of great interest to syntacticians, morphologists, linguistic anthropologists, language typologists, cognitive scientists interested in language, and instructors of Southeast Asian languages.
1. Introduction Jeffrey P. Williams
Part I. Austro-Asiatic
2. Expressives in Austro-Asiatic Paul Sidwell
3. Aesthetic elements in Temiar grammar Geoffrey Benjamin
4. Decorative morphology in Khmer John Haiman
5. Why is sound symbolism so common in Vietnamese? Marc Brunelle and Lê Thi Xuyến
6. Grammatical aesthetics in Wa Justin Watkins
7. Beautifying techniques in Kammu vocal genres Håkan Lundström
Part II. Tai-Kadai
8. Proverbs, proverbial elaboration, and poetic development in the Tai languages Thomas John Hudak
9. Lexicalized poetry in Sui James N. Stanford
10. Attitudes towards aesthetic aspects of Thai grammar Wilaiwan Khanittanan
Part III. Hmong-Mien
11. White Hmong reduplicative expressives Martha Ratliff
Part IV. Austronesian
12. The aesthetics of Jarai echo morphology Lap M. Siu and Jeffrey P. Williams
13. Expressive forms in Bih – a Highland Chamic language of Vietnam Tam Nguyen
Part V. Tibeto-Burman
14. Aesthetic aspects of Khmui grammar David A. Peterson
15. Delight in sound
Burmese patterns of euphony Julian K. Wheatley
16. Psycho-collocational expressives in Burmese Alice Vittrant
17. Grammatical aesthetics of ritual texts in Akha Inga-Lill Hansson.
Advance praise: 'A groundbreaking introduction to an important, long-neglected phenomenon. The descriptive and theoretical problems posed by expressive systems are a serious challenge for the next generation of linguists, and scholars seeking to engage this challenge will begin with this volume.' Scott DeLancey, University of Oregon