Copular Constructions in Lithuanian
The fourth volume in the VARGReB series presents an in-depth investigation of Lithuanian copular constructions from the viewpoint of Cognitive Grammar. Apart from the fundamental problems of the ontology and taxonomy of copular sentences, the author also discusses a number of more specific questions on which the Lithuanian data, contrasted with those of English and other languages hitherto dealt with in the literature, can shed an interesting light, such as the nature and distinctive features of specificationals, the problem of subjecthood in this subtype of copular constructions, the aspectual semantics of copular sentences, etc. The attention given to the grammatical context of copular constructions and the multifarious relationships linking them to other construction types enhances the book’s relevance to the field of Lithuanian studies, whereas the dialogue and confrontation between the Cognitive perspective adopted by the author and the more formal approaches hitherto applied to the problem of copular sentences will add to its interest for the general reader.
[Valency, Argument Realization and Grammatical Relations in Baltic, 4] 2017. xv, 280 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Published online on 12 June 2017
Published online on 12 June 2017
© John Benjamins
Table of Contents
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Acknowledgement | p. ix
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List of abbreviations | p. xi
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Preface | p. xiii
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Introduction | p. 1
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Part I. Copular constructions and their grammatical context
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chapter 1. Difficulties encountered in the syntactic analysis of constructions with the verb būti 'be' | p. 19
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chapter 2. Semantic properties of the verb būti ('be') | p. 27
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chapter 3. Types of copular constructions | p. 55
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chapter 4. Peripheral cases of copular constructions | p. 83
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chapter 5. Final remarks: Common ontology and functional differentiation | p. 91
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Part II. Specificational copular constructions
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chapter 6. The 'inverted' type of copular constructions: Its specificity and place in the classification of copular constructions | p. 97
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chapter 7. Pseudoclefts – a variety of specificational copular sentences | p. 115
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chapter 8. The problem of subject assignment in the specificational copular construction | p. 133
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chapter 9. Final remarks | p. 169
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Part III. The expression of aspect in copular constructions
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chapter 10. Overview of basic issues | p. 175
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chapter 11. The role of morphosyntactic encoding in aspectual expression in copular constructions | p. 193
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chapter 12. Expression of aspect in different types of copular constructions | p. 213
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chapter 13. Final remarks | p. 253
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General conclusions | p. 257
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Index | p. 273
“This book is a recommendable read for any linguist interested in Cognitive Grammar approaches to clause structure. It presents an insightful account of the structure and semantics of Lithuanian copular constructions and their relation with existential, possessive and locative construction types. The author also addresses a number of more general questions concerning grammatical subjects, predicative nominals, copulas, and case marking, against the fascinating background of Lithuanian grammar.”
Tuomas Huumo, University of Turku
Subjects
Main BIC Subject
CF/2AJB: Linguistics/Baltic languages
Main BISAC Subject
LAN009060: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / Syntax