Thomas Berg challenges context-free theories of linguistics; he is concerned with how the term 'explanation' is typically used in the discipline. He argues that real explanations cannot emerge from a view which asserts the autonomy of language, but only from an approach which seeks to establish a connection between language and the contexts in which it is embedded. The author examines the psychological context in detail. He uses an interactive activation model of language processing to derive predictions about synchronic linguistic patterns, the course of linguistic change, and the structure of poetic rhymes. The majority of these predictions are borne out, and the author concludes that the structure of language is shaped by the properties of the mechanism which puts it to use, and that psycholinguistics thus qualifies as one likely approach from which to derive an explanation of linguistic structure.

About the Author
Thomas Berg is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Hamburg.

Reviews
The book can be praised for the breadth of linguistic and psycholinguistic patterns that are discussed, and for the way the results are integrated into a complete model of linguistic patterning . . . a much needed contribution to a relatively understudied area of linguistic research that is gradually entering the theoretical realm. This work has broad implications for many of the foundational issues of linguistic theory. * Stefan Frisch, University of Michigan, Journal of Linguistics 35, 1999 *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198299851
Author Thomas Berg
Format Paperback
Page Count 350
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 1g
Dimensions(mm) 233mm * 156mm * 20mm