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Summary

This pioneering study of pronouns takes into account more than 250 languages. It contrasts personal pronouns with pronouns such as demonstratives, interrogatives, and relatives and shows that they belong to two distinct categories. Previously undiscovered characteristics of the two categories of pronouns are introduced and examined in detail from a cross-linguistic and functional perspective.

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Pronouns by Darbhe Narayana Shankara Bhat

On the basis of a cross-linguistic study of over 250 languages, this book brings to light several fascinating characteristics of pronouns. It argues that these words do not form a single category, but rather two different categories called 'personal pronouns' and 'proforms'. It points out several differences between the two, such as the occurrence of a dual structure among proforms but not among personal pronouns. These differences are shown to derive from the distinct functions that the two categories have to perform in language. The book also shows that the so-called interrogative pronouns of familiar languages do not actually have interrogation as their meaning. One can only assign the meaning of indefiniteness to them. Further, the notion of indefiniteness that can be associated with these and other pronouns is quite different from the one that can be associated with noun phrases. Other interesting aspects of this book include the postulation of certain typological distinctions like 'two-person' and 'three-person' languages and 'free-pronoun' and 'bound-pronoun' languages.
As a whole, Bhat's monograph represents an interesting and informative contribution to the typological study of pronouns* Linguist List *
D. N. S. Bhat retired in 1995 as Research Scientist, University Grants Commission, at the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore. He has been Professor of Linguistics in Manipur University, Imphal and International School of Dravidian Linguistics, Tiruvananthapuram, and Reader in Tibeto-Burman linguistics in Deccan College, Pune. He was also a British Council Fellow and a Research Associate in the Language Universals Project of Stanford University. He has written several books both in English and Kannada, which include The Prominence of Tense, Aspect and Mood (1999), The Adjectival Category (1994), Grammatical Relations (1991), Referents of Noun Phrases (1979), and The Syntax and Semantics of Kannada Sentences (in Kannada, 1978).
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780199269129
ISBN 10 0199269122
Title Pronouns
Author Darbhe Narayana Shankara Bhat
Series Oxford Studies In Typology And Linguistic Theory
Condition Unavailable
Publisher Oxford University Press
Year published 2003-12-11
Number of pages 332
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note Unavailable