Publications

Publication details [#59892]

Busser, Rik De and Randy J. LaPolla, eds. 2015. Language Structure and Environment. Social, cultural, and natural factors. (Cognitive Linguistic Studies in Cultural Contexts 6). John Benjamins. vi, 370 pp.
Publication type
Book – edited volume
Publication language
English

Annotation

Language Structure and Environment is a broad introduction to how languages are shaped by their environment. It makes the argument that the social, cultural, and natural environment of speakers influences the structures and development of the languages they speak. After a general overview, the contributors explain in a number of detailed case studies how specific cultural, societal, geographical, evolutionary and meta-linguistic pressures determine the development of specific grammatical features and the global structure of a varied selection of languages.