A Grammar of Basque (Mouton Grammar Library [Mgl]) (English and German Edition)

As the only surviving pre-Indo-European language of western Europe, Basque has often attracted the interest of linguists. Whereas, traditionally, descriptive work on Basque has primarily focused on morphological features, including its complex system of verb-argument agreement and its strict ergative pattern of inflection, during the last two decades a new generation of Basque linguists has produced very sophisticated, theoretically-informed work on many aspects of the syntax, morphology and phonology of the language, revealing, for instance, a process of focalization with many interesting properties and the existence in some dialects of an accentual system strikingly similar to that of standard Japanese. The book, bringing together this accumulated knowledge on the structure of Basque, is considerably more complete than any other existing grammar of the language. Another interesting feature of this grammar is that the description is illustrated with fully-glossed examples extracted from a great number of written sources. Although the focus is the modern standard language, dialectal features are considered in detail and examples are taken from all dialects and periods. 1 Introduction (J.I. Hualde) 31 1.1. The Basque language and its name 31 1.2. The Basque language today: number of speakers, geographical distribution, official status, sociolinguistic aspects 32 2 Phonology 45 2.1. Segmental phonology (J.I. Hualde) 45 2.2. Accentuation (J.I. Hualde) 95 2.3. Intonation (G. Elordieta) 102 3. Morphology 143 3.1. The Noun Phrase: nouns, determiners and modifiers; pronouns and names (R.L. Trask) 143 3.2. Case and number inflection of noun phrases (J.I. Hualde) 201 3.3. Postpositions (J.I. Hualde) 217 3.4. Adverbs (J.I. Hualde) 220 3.5. Verbs (J.I. Hualde, B. Oyharçabal and J. Ortiz de Urbina) 225 3.5.1. Nonfinite forms (J.I. Hualde) 226 3.5.2. Finite forms 235 3.5.3. Structural analysis of basic verbal paradigms (J.I. Hualde) 276 3.5.4. Tense, aspect and mood (B. Oyharçabal) 279 3.5.5. Periphrastic constructions (J. Ortiz de Urbina) 314 3.5.6. Semiauxiliary verbs (J. Ortiz de Urbina) 330 3.5.7. Modal particles 346 3.6. Conjunctions and connectors (J.I. Hualde) 353 3.7. Derivation (J.I. Hualde) 358 3.8. Compounds (J.I. Hualde) 381 4 Syntax 393 4.1. Valency and argument structure in the Basque verb (R. Etxepare) 393 4.1.1. Valency and the auxiliary system: an outline 393 4.1.2. Intransitive monovalent structures 394 4.1.3. Intransitive Bivalent Structures (dative-absolutive constructions) 415 4.1.4. Transitive Structures 418 4.1.5. Ditransitive Structures 441 4.1.6. Possessive constructions 444 4.1.7. Verbs of saying, thinking and judging 452 4.2. Nominal Predication: copulative sentences and secondary predication (I. Zabala) 456 4.3. Word order (J. Ortiz de Urbina) 478 4.4. Focalization (R. Etxepare & J. Ortiz de Urbina) 489 4.5. Negation (R. Etxepare) 546 4.6. Exclamatives (R. Etxepare) 594 4.7. Impersonal clauses (J. Ortiz de Urbina) 602 4.8. Causatives (J. Ortiz de Urbina) 622 4.9. Reciprocal and reflexive constructions (X. Artiagoitia) 637 4.10. Subordination (X. Artiagoitia, B. Oyharçabal, J.I. Hualde & J. Ortiz de Urbina) 662 4.10.1. Complementation (noun clauses) (X. Artiagoitia) 664 4.10.2. Adjunct subordination (X. Artiagoitia) 740 4.10.3. Relatives (B. Oyharçabal) 792 4.10.4. Comparative constructions (J.I. Hualde & J. Ortiz de Urbina) 853 4.11. Coordination (I. Amundarain) 874 5 Texts 923 5.1. Text 1 923 5.2. Text 2 927 5.3. Text 3 933 5.4. Text 4 936 5.5. Text 5 942 Sources of examples 945 References 952 Index 965 1. Introduction / J. I. Hualde -- 2. Phonology -- 2.1. Segmental Phonology / J. I. Hualde -- 2.2. Accentuation / J. I. Hualde -- 2.3. Intonation / G. Elordieta -- 3. Morphology -- 3.1. The Noun Phrase: Nouns, Determiners And Modifies; Pronouns And Names / R. L. Trask -- 3.2. Case And Number Inflection Of Noun Phrases / J. I. Hualde -- 3.3. Postpositions / J. I. Hualde -- 3.4. Adverbs / J. I. Hualde -- 3.5. Verbs / J. I. Hualde, B. Oyharcabal And J. Ortiz De Urbina -- 3.6. Conjunctions And Connectors / J. I. Hualde -- 3.7. Derivation / J. I. Hualde -- 3.8. Compounds / J. I. Hualde -- 4. Syntax -- 4.1. Valency And Argument Structure In The Basque Verb / R. Etxepare -- 4.2. Nominal Predication: Copulative Sentences And Secondary Predication / I. Zabala -- 4.3. Word Order / J. Ortiz De Urbina -- 4.4. Focalization / R. Etxepare And J. Ortiz De Urbina -- 4.5. Negation / R. Etxepare -- 4.6. Exclamatives / R. Etxepare -- 4.7. Impersonal Clauses / J. Ortiz De Urbina -- 4.8. Causatives / J. Ortiz De Urbina -- 4.9. Reciprocal And Reflexive Constructions / X. Artiagoitia -- 4.10. Subordination / X. Artiagoitia, B. Oyharcabal, J. I. Hualde And J. Ortiz De Urbina -- 4.11. Coordination / I. Amundarain -- 5. Texts -- 5.1. Text 1 -- 5.2. Text 2 -- 5.3. Text 3 -- 5.4. Text 4 -- 5.5. Text 5. Edited By José Ignacio Hualde, Jon Ortiz De Urbina. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [922]-934) And Index.

The series builds an extensive collection of high quality descriptions of languages around the world. Each volume offers a comprehensive grammatical description of a single language together with fully analyzed sample texts and, if appropriate, a word list and other relevant information which is available on the language in question. There are no restrictions as to language family or area, and although special attention is paid to hitherto undescribed languages, new and valuable treatments of better known languages are also included. No theoretical model is imposed on the authors; the only criterion is a high standard of scientific quality.

To discuss your book idea or submit a proposal, please contact Birgit Sievert.

This book is a comprehensive grammar of the Basque language. The phonology, morphology and syntax of the language are described in detail. The description is illustrated with fully-glossed examples both constructed and extracted from a great number of written sources. Although the focus is the modern standard language, dialectal features are considered in some detail and examples are taken from all dialects and periods As the only surviving pre-Indo-European language of western Europe, Basque has often attracted the interest of linguists. This book takes a new look at the structure of the Basque language. It looks at the syntax, morphology and phonology, taking examples from all dialects and periods. Biographical note: Jose Ignacio Hualde is Professor at the University of Illinois, Department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. Jon Ortiz de Urbina is Professor at the University of Deusto, Spain