1. Language Structure and Environment : Social, Cultural, and Natural Factors
- Author
-
Rik De Busser, Randy J. LaPolla, Rik De Busser, and Randy J. LaPolla
- Subjects
- Language and culture--Social aspects, Language and culture--Research, Sociolinguistics--Research, Structural linguistics--Research, Structural linguistics--Social aspects, Sublanguage--Social aspects, Intercultural communication--Social aspects
- Abstract
Language Structure and Environment is a broad introduction to how languages are shaped by their environment. It makes the argument that the social, cultural, and natural environment of speakers influences the structures and development of the languages they speak. After a general overview, the contributors explain in a number of detailed case studies how specific cultural, societal, geographical, evolutionary and meta-linguistic pressures determine the development of specific grammatical features and the global structure of a varied selection of languages. This is a work of meticulous scholarship at the forefront of a burgeoning field of linguistics.
- Published
- 2015