Efficiency and Complexity in Grammars

John Hawkins demonstrates a clear link between how languages are used and the conventions of their grammars. He sets out a theory in which performance shapes grammars and accounts for the variation patterns found in the world's languages. He backs this up with evidence from a wide array of
languages. He also considers the profound consequences of this correspondence for explanations of language change and evolution, and for models of performance and acquisition. His book is of fundamental importance for linguistic theory.


Author: John a. Hawkins
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 01/13/2005
Pages: 322
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.08lbs
Size: 9.12h x 6.30w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780199252695

About the Author

John A. Hawkins completed his Ph.D. at Cambridge University in 1975. He has held teaching and research positions at the University of Essex, the Max-Planck-Institute for Psycholinguistics, and the University of Southern California. His visiting appointments include UCLA, Berkeley, Potsdam, and the Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. His books include A Performance Theory of Order and Constituency (Cambridge, 1994); A Comparative Typology of English and German: Unifying the Contrasts (Austin, 1986) Word Order Universals (New York,1983), Definiteness, and Indefiniteness: A Study in Reference and Grammaticality Prediction (London, 1978).

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