Balkan Sprachbund Morpho Syntactic Features

This book discusses the morpho-syntactic Balkan Sprachbund features in nine languages in which they are most numerous. It contains a wealth of Balkan linguistic material. The focus is on displaying similarities and differences in the representation of the most widely acknowledged Balkan Sprachbund morpho-syntactic features and their interaction with other features in the structure of the DP or the sentence of individual languages.

This book investigates morpho-syntactic convergences that characterize the languages of the Balkan Sprachbund: Balkan Slavic, Greek, Romanian, Albanian, Balkan Romani. Apart from new data, the volume features contributions within different theoretical frameworks (contact linguistics, functional linguistics, typology, areal linguistics, and generative grammar).

The book deals with some syntactic and semantic aspects of the shared Balkan Sprachbund properties. In a comprehensive introductory chapter, Tomic offers an overview of the Balkan Sprachbund properties. Sobolev, displaying the areal distribution of 65 properties, argues for dialect cartography. Friedman, on the example of the evidentials, argues for typologically informed areal explanation of the Balkan properties. The other contributions analyze specific phenomena: polidefinite DPs in Greek and Aromanian (Campos and Stavrou), Balkan constructions in which datives combine with impersonal clitics or non-active morphology (Rivero), Balkan optatives (Ammann and Auwera), imperative force in the Balkan languages (Isac and Jakab), clitic placement in Greek imperatives (Boškovic), focused constituents in Romanian and Bulgarian (Hill), synthetic and analytic tenses in Romanian (D'Hulst, Coene and Avram), "purpose-like" modification in a number of Balkan languages (Bužarovska), Balkan modal existential “wh”-constructions (Grosu), child and adult strategies in interpreting empty subjects in Serbian/Croatian (Stojanovic and Marelj), conditional sentences in Judeo-Spanish (Montoliu and Auwera).

From linguistic areas to areal linguistics explores language description and typology in terms of areal background, presenting case studies in areal linguistics. Some concern well-established linguistic areas such as the Balkan, other regions such as East Nusantara (Indonesia) and the Guapore-Mamore (Amazon) regions have never before been studied in an areal perspective, and yet other areas are involved in current debates. The insight has gained ground that languages owe many of their characteristics to the languages they are in contact with over time. Yet the nature of these areal influences remains a matter of debate. Furthermore, areas are often hard to define. Hence the title: a shift from linguistic areas as concrete and circumscribed objects to a new way of doing linguistics: areally. New findings include the observation that there may be many more language areas than previously recognized. The book is primarily directed at linguists working in descriptive, comparative, historical and typological linguistics. Since it covers linguistic areas from four continents, it will have a wide appeal.

The current volume addresses issues of micro-parametric variation in the grammar of nominal expressions in Bulgarian and Macedonian, with a special focus on features typically attributed to the Balkan Sprachbund. It is the very first attempt to approach in detail and in parallel the structure of noun phrases in the two languages, to look at how some of these features have evolved historically, to consider the order of phrase-internal modifiers, and possible reasons for deviations from default orderings, as well as the function of items, usually labelled determiners (articles, demonstratives and possessive pronouns). The noun phrase has been selected, as it offers a wealth of phenomena within phrase-internal grammar, at the same time providing insights for, and parallels to, the syntax of clauses. The selection of papers is unique, in that they build on specialised corpora specifically collected for the purposes of work on the current project. The contributors have specialised expertise in the fields of Balkan linguistics, language typology, grammatical theory, (South-)Slavic linguistics, language diachrony, and have written numerous papers published in journals and research volumes. This book reflects work on a larger project entitled "Balkan Morpho-Syntactic Similarities" with a grant from The Norwegian Research Council.

This book is the first comprehensive grammar in English of present-day standard Romanian. It is an indispensable resource for Romance linguists, from advanced undergraduate level and above.

Open publicationThe Languages and Linguistics of Europe: A Comprehensive Guide is part of the multi-volume reference work on the languages and linguistics of the continents of the world. The book supplies profiles of the language families of Europe, including the sign languages. It also discusses the areal typology, paying attention to the Standard Average European, Balkan, Baltic and Mediterranean convergence areas. Separate chapters deal with the old and new minority languages and with non-standard varieties. A major focus is language politics and policies, including discussions of the special status of English, the relation between language and the church, language and the school, and standardization. The history of European linguistics is another focus as is the history of multilingual European 'empires' and their dissolution. The volume is especially geared towards a graduate and advanced undergraduate readership. It has been designed such that it can be used, as a whole or in parts, as a textbook, the first of its kind, for graduate programmes with a focus on the linguistic (and linguistics) landscape of Europe.

Approximately five million people worldwide speak Albanian. The opening of Albania in the 1990s to broader trading and diplomatic relations with other nations has created a need for better knowledge of the language and culture of this country. This book teaches the student to communicate in everyday situations in the language, with each chapter introducing a new situational context. Students learn to discuss work, vacations, health, and entertainment. Students also learn to practice basic skills such as shopping, ordering tickets, and renting an apartment. Upon completing this textbook, students will be at the A2/B1 level of proficiency on the scale provided by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The textbook includes: • eighteen lessons based on real-life situations, including three review lessons • dialogues to help introduce vocabulary and grammatical structures • comprehension questions and exercises • related readings at the end of each chapter • full translations for all examples discussed in grammar sections • a series of appendixes with numerous charts summarizing main classes of nouns, adjectives, and verbs • an appendix with the solutions to most of the exercises in the book • a glossary with all the words in the dialogs and readings.