Parts of speech : empirical and theoretical advances ; [conference on Parts of Speech (PoS) held at the University of Amsterdam in June 2006

Parts Of Speech Are A Central Aspect Of Linguistic Theory And Analysis. Though A Long-established Tradition In Western Linguistics And Philosophy Has Assumed The Validity Of Parts Of Speech In The Study Of Language, There Are Still Many Questions Left Unanswered. For Example, Should Parts Of Speech Be Treated As Descriptive Tools Or Are They To Be Considered Universal Constructs? Is It Possible To Come Up With Cross-linguistically Valid Formal Categories, Or Are Categories Of Language Structure Ultimately Language-specific? Should They Be Defined Semantically, Syntactically, Or Otherwise? Do Non-indo-european Languages Reveal Novel Aspects Of Categorical Assignment? This Volume Attempts To Answer These And Other Fundamental Questions For Linguistic Theory And Its Methodology By Offering A Range Of Contributions That Spans Diverse Theoretical Persuasions And Contributes To Our Understanding Of Parts Of Speech With Analyses Of New Data Sets. These Articles Were Originally Published In Studies In Language 32:3 (2008).--page 4 Of Cover. Parts Of Speech: Particulars, Universals And Theoretical Constructs / Umberto Ansaldo, Jan Don And Roland Pfau -- Word Classes In Sign Languages: Criteria And Classifications / Waldemar Schwager And Ulrike Zeshan -- Roots, Stems And Word Classes / Christian Lehmann -- Precategoriality And Syntax-based Parts Of Speech: The Case Of Late Archaic Chinese / Walter Bisang -- Covert Word Classes: Seeking Your Own Syntax In Tukang Besi / Mark Donohue -- Pragmatic Factors In The Development Of A Switch-adjective Language: A Case Study Of The Miyako Hirara Dialect Of Ryukyuan / Yulia Koloskova And Toshio Ohori -- The Acquisition Of Syntactic Categories In Jakarta Indonesian / David Gil -- Possible Phonological Cues In Categorial Acquisition Evidence From Adult Categorization /jan Don And Marian Erkelens -- Lexical Semantic Constraints On Noun Roots And Noun Borrowability / Lynn Nichols -- Degree Words, Intensification, And Word Class Distinctions In Romance Languages / Ventura Salazar-garcía -- On Flexible And Rigid Nouns / Jan Rijkhoff. Edited By Umberto Ansaldo, Jan Don, Roland Pfau. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.