A new approach to English grammar, on semantic principles

Author:Robert Malcolm Ward Dixon

Summary:Linguists often portray grammar as a kind of self-sufficient algebra. This book offers a new approach, starting from the premise that a speaker codes meaning into grammatical forms in order to communicate them to a hearer, who recovers the meaning.

Print Book, English, 1991

Edition:View all formats and editions

Publisher: Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1991

Physical Description:XVI, 398 p. ; 23 cm

ISBN:

9780198242727, 9780198240570, 0198242727, 0198240570

OCLC Number / Unique Identifier:641980876

Subjects:

Inglés (Lengua) Gramática

Inglés (Lengua) Semántica

Lengua inglesa Gramática

Lengua inglesa Semántica

Contents:

A. Introduction: Orientation; Grammatical sketch; B. The semantic types: Noun, adjective and verb types; Primary-A type verbs; Primary-B type verbs; Secondary verb types; C. Some grammatical topics: I know that it seems that he'll make me want to describe her starting to say that she knows that it seems that ...: complement clauses; I kicked at the bomb, which exploded, and wakened you up : transitivity and causatives; The plate, which had been eaten off, was owned by my aunt : passives; What sells slowly, but wears well? : promotion to subject; She gave him a look, they both had a laugh and then took a stroll : GIVE A VERB , HAVE A VERB , and TAKE A VERB constructions; list of adjective and verb types, with sample members.