Linguistic Theory and South Asian Languages

The South Asian languages, mainly Indo-Aryan and Dravidian, have become a focus of interest in the formal study of language as a natural consequence of the research program of the Principle and Parameters approach and an enforced interest in exploring the parametrical space of human language. The contributions to the present volume combine theoretical reasoning in syntax and phonology with a comparative research agenda in which South Asian languages figure prominently. The topics range from issues of clause structure, serial verb constructions, cleft- and question formation, to the question of what the proper syntactic format of modification should be, issues of binding theory and raising, and issues of complementation, the clausal periphery and clausal typing. The collection of articles concludes with two chapters on Dravidian and comparative phonology and a chapter on the shaping of phonological awareness by different writing systems. The authors and the editors devote this piece of work to Professor K.A. Jayaseelan, one of present-day India’s most influential linguists.

Karumuri V. Subbarao, Delhi, India:
This volume focuses on various phenomena of current theoretical relevance and attempts to provide solutions supported by valid arguments and rich empirical data. Many of the papers are the result of collaboration and discussion over many years on topics of theoretical interest raised by South Asian languages. It also includes general papers which advance our understanding of central theoretical questions of language. It will be of great interest to theoretical linguists and typologists interested in a wide range of data in general and data from South Asian languages in particular. This is a welcome addition.