There is an emerging perspective in the discipline of linguistics that takes expressivity as one of the key components of human communication and grammatical structure. Expressivity refers to the use of grammar in natural languages to convey sensory information in a creative way, for example through reduplication, iconicity, ideophones and onomatopoeia. Expressives are more commonly associated with non-European languages, so their presence in European languages has so far been under-documented. With contributions from a team of leading scholars, this pioneering book redresses that balance by providing copious, detailed information about the expressive systems of a set of European languages. It comprises a collection of original surveys of expressivity in languages as diverse as Hungarian, Finnish, Turkish, Scots, German, Greek, Italian, Catalan, Breton and Basque, all with the common goal of challenging structuralist assumptions about the role of syntax, and showing how expressivity is both typologically diverse and universal.

Providing extensive data on a range of European languages, this book highlights the key role expressivity plays in all language.

About the Author
Jeffrey Williams is Professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work at Texas Tech University. He has edited The Aesthetics of Grammar (CUP, 2014) and Expressive Morphology in the Languages of South Asia (Routledge, 2021).


Book Information
ISBN 9781108834032
Author Jeffrey P. Williams
Format Hardback
Page Count 390
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 470g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 158mm * 27mm