Number
Number by Greville G. Corbett, published by Cambridge University Press on December 7, 2000, is a comprehensive exploration of the grammatical category of number. This 358-page edition delves into the complexities of number systems across various languages, highlighting that the common distinction between singular and plural is just one of many possibilities. Corbett presents a wide-ranging analysis that challenges conventional perceptions of grammatical categories, drawing on diverse linguistic examples to illustrate the richness of number systems worldwide.
Readers will find that this book examines the varied means of signaling number and the surprising additional uses these systems can serve. By surveying the linguistic resources available globally, Corbett contributes significantly to the understanding of morphology and syntax, revealing the intricate ways in which languages express number. This work is particularly relevant for those interested in linguistics, grammar, and the broader implications of language structure.
Official synopsis Publisher
Number is the most underestimated of the grammatical categories. It is deceptively simple yet the number system which philosophers, logicians and many linguists take as the norm – namely the distinction between singular and plural (as in cat versus cats) – is only one of a wide range of possibilities to be found in languages around the world. Some languages, for instance, make more distinctions than English, having three, four or even five different values. Adopting a wide-ranging perspective, Greville Corbett draws on examples from many languages to analyse the possible systems of number. He reveals that the means for signalling number are remarkably varied and are put to a surprising range of special additional uses. By surveying some of the riches of the world’s linguistic resources this book, first published in 2000, makes a major contribution to the typology of categories and demonstrates that languages are much more varied than is generally recognised.
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