Trousson, Raymond / Vercruysse, Jeroom (dir.), Dictionnaire general de Voltaire. (Champion classiques, references et dictionnaires 18) 1272 p. 2020:10 (Champion, FR) <670-9>
ISBN 978-2-38096-016-7 paper ¥7,064.- (税込) EUR 38.00

Cerrudo, Alba / Gallego, Angel J. / Roca, Francesc (eds.), Syntactic Geolectal Variation: Traditional Approaches, Current Challenges and New Tools. (Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 34) 380 pp. 2021:7 (J. Benjamins, NE) <665-2440>
ISBN 978-90-272-0871-2 hard ¥25,179.- (税込) EUR 105.00

This volume brings together studies that combine both traditional and contemporary tools in the study of syntactic geolectal variation, with a special focus on a subset of Iberian varieties. There is an increasing body of research on syntactic micro-variation, but the interaction between dialectology (which makes use of atlases, corpora, databases, questionnaires, interviews, etc.) and formal syntactic studies has traditionally been weak (or even nonexistent), which is precisely the gap the contributions in this book aim at filling in. From a broader perspective, this collection is meant as a contribution to the subfield of linguistic variation and to the more general field of Romance linguistics, with special interest in Spanish and in other Iberian languages. The volume is meant for both researchers and students interested in linguistic variation or dialectology and, specifically, in syntactic variation in Iberian languages.

Dupont, Maite, Conjunctive Markers of Contrast in English and French: From Syntax to Lexis and Discourse. (Studies in Corpus Linguistics 99) 436 pp. 2021:6 (J. Benjamins, NE) <665-2442>
ISBN 978-90-272-0846-0 hard ¥23,740.- (税込) EUR 99.00

Situated at the interface between corpus linguistics and Systemic Functional Linguistics, this volume focuses on conjunctive markers expressing contrast in English and French. The frequency and placement patterns of the markers are analysed using large corpora of texts from two written registers: newspaper editorials and research articles. The corpus study revisits the long-standing but largely unsubstantiated claim that French requires more explicit markers of cohesive conjunction than English and shows that the opposite is in fact the case. Novel insights into the placement preferences of English and French conjunctive markers are provided by a new approach to theme and rheme that attaches more importance to the rheme than previous studies. The study demonstrates the significant benefits of a combined corpus and Systemic Functional Linguistics approach to the cross-linguistic analysis of cohesion.

Narita, Hiroki / Fukui, Naoki, Symmetrizing Syntax: Merge, Minimality, and Equilibria. (Routledge Studies in Linguistics) 272 pp. 2021:11 (Routledge, UK) * paper 2023 <665-2443>
ISBN 978-1-138-94443-5 hard ¥41,470.- (税込) GB￡ 145.00 *
ISBN 978-1-032-14840-3 paper ¥11,436.- (税込) GB￡ 39.99 *

Symmetrizing Syntax seeks to establish a minimal and natural characterization of the structure of human language (syntax), simplifying many facets of it that have been redundantly or asymmetrically formulated. Virtually all past theories of natural language syntax, from the traditional X-bar theory to the contemporary system of Merge and labeling, stipulate that every phrase structure is "asymmetrically" organized, so that one of its elements is always marked as primary/dominant over the others, or each and every phrase is labeled by a designated lexical element. The two authors call this traditional stipulation into question and hypothesize, instead, that linguistic derivations are essentially driven by the need to reduce asymmetry and generate symmetric structures. Various linguistic notions such as Merge, cyclic derivation by phase, feature-checking, morphological agreement, labeling, movement, and criterial freezing, as well as parametric differences among languages like English and Japanese, and so on, are all shown to follow from a particular notion of structural symmetry. These results constitute novel support for the contemporary thesis that human language is essentially an instance of a physical/biological object, and its design is governed by the laws of nature, at the core of which lies the fundamental principle of symmetry. Providing insights into new technical concepts in syntax, the volume is written for academics in linguistics but will also be accessible to linguistics students seeking an introduction to syntax.

Bouveret, Myriam (ed.), Give Constructions across Languages. (Constructional Approaches to Language 29) 246 pp. 2021:3 (J. Benjamins, NE) <665-2413>
ISBN 978-90-272-0842-2 hard ¥22,781.- (税込) EUR 95.00

This cognitive contrastive study of ten languages (Chinese, Dalabon, English, French, Spanish, Romanian, Kurdish, Khmer, Polish, Tibetan) focuses on the concept of giving from six main points of view, namely argument structure, lexical semantics and event structure, role marking in the three argument construction and in other constructions, lexicalization, grammaticalization and constructionalization of the verb from a cognitive construction grammar point of view, and central and extended meanings. It is proposed that a continuum approach to grammar and lexicon is needed in order to describe the typological and historical facts. The volume argues for a concrete and abstract transfer 'cluster model' involving coverage of lexical and grammatical extension or bleaching phenomena and that the semantic extensions (metaphorical and otherwise) exploit various portions of this schema. The volume is deeply anchored in the Cognitive Construction Grammar theoretical movement, and proposes analyses of constructional phenomena to illustrate a grammar to lexicon continuum, in synchrony and diachrony: language change, grammaticalization chains, constructionalization analysis, and an invariant hypothesis of giving as a basic activity in human cognition.

Si, Fuzhen / Rizzi, Luigi (eds.), Current Issues in Syntactic Cartography: A crosslinguistic perspective. (Linguistik Aktuell / Linguistics Today 267) 328 pp. 2021:10 (J. Benjamins, NE) <665-2414>
ISBN 978-90-272-0890-3 hard ¥23,740.- (税込) EUR 99.00

This book illustrates recent developments in cartographic studies, seen from a comparative perspective. The different chapters explore various aspects of theoretical and descriptive syntax, bearing on such topics as selection, causativity, binding, light verb constructions, the structure of the high and low peripheral zones. Syntactic issues in the study of dialects and ancient languages are also addressed. The languages investigated include French, Hebrew, Standard Dutch and the Ghent dialect, Etruscan, Japanese, English, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese and the Teochew dialect. The intended readers of this book include researchers and students working on natural language syntax, the interface between syntax and semantics/pragmatics, and comparative and typological linguistics, as well as scholars interested in particular languages such as East Asian and Romance languages.

Christensen, Tanya Karoli / Juel Jensen, Torben (eds.), Explanations in Sociosyntactic Variation. (Studies in Language Variation and Change) 250 pp. 2022:2 (Cambridge U. Pr., UK) <665-2421>
ISBN 978-1-108-49284-3 hard ¥29,744.- (税込) GB￡ 104.00 *

What explains variation in human language? How are linguistic and social factors related? How do we examine possible semantic differences between variants? These questions and many more are explored in this volume, which examines syntactic variables in a range of languages. It brings together a team of internationally acclaimed authors to provide perspectives on how and why syntax varies between and within speakers, focusing on explaining theoretical backgrounds and methods. The analyses presented are based on a range of languages, making it possible to address the questions from a cross-linguistic perspective. All chapters demonstrate rigorous quantitative analyses, which expose the conditioning factors in language change as well as offering important insights into community and individual grammars. It is essential reading for researchers and students with an interest in language variation and change, and the theoretical framework and methods applied in the study of how and why syntax varies.

Bonan, Caterina, Romance Interrogative Syntax: Formal and typological dimensions of variation. (Linguistik Aktuell / Linguistics Today 266) 252 pp. 2021:3 (J. Benjamins, NE) <665-2438>
ISBN 978-90-272-0845-3 hard ¥23,740.- (税込) EUR 99.00

This monograph offers an innovative understanding of the mechanisms involved in Romance 'optional' wh-in situ. New supporting evidence in favour of Cable's (2010) Grammar of Q is presented, as well as novel implementations of his original theory. In particular, it is claimed that wh-in situ idioms are characterised not only by language-specific choices between Q-projection and Q-adjunction, and between overt and covert movement of Q, but also in terms of the locus where they check the features relevant to wh-questions: while some languages check both [q] and [focus] in C, others make use of the clause-internal vP-periphery to check [focus]. Thanks to the vast amount of data presented and discussed, along with the predictions and theoretical contributions made, this monograph will be of interest to a wide range of specialists in human language, from typologists to Romance specialists and formal syntacticians, but also to the many experts in languages with overt Q-particles who wonder why Romance specialists have long been so resistant to the implementation of silent Q-particles in their theoretical models.