Chapter 9. Parts of speech, comparative concepts and Indo-European linguistics
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Luca Alfieri
Abstract
The paper adopts and further elaborates on the distinction between comparative concepts (CC) and descriptive categories (DC) by proposing a partly new definition of the parts of speech (PoS), and uses that definition to provide a new analysis of PoS in Latin and RV Sanskrit. More, specifically, the paper shows that in Latin three major classes of morphemes are found (nouns, adjectives and verbs), whereas in the RV only two major classes are found (verbal roots and nouns) and the typical “adjective” is a derived stem built on a verbal root meaning a quality (i.e. roughly a nominalization). The data described are then used to contribute to the CC debate in the field of PoS, by showing its relation with historical Indo-European linguistics, by critically analysing traditional labels such as noun, adjective, verb, root, stem and lexeme, and by questioning the alleged incommensurability between CCs and DCs.
Abstract
The paper adopts and further elaborates on the distinction between comparative concepts (CC) and descriptive categories (DC) by proposing a partly new definition of the parts of speech (PoS), and uses that definition to provide a new analysis of PoS in Latin and RV Sanskrit. More, specifically, the paper shows that in Latin three major classes of morphemes are found (nouns, adjectives and verbs), whereas in the RV only two major classes are found (verbal roots and nouns) and the typical “adjective” is a derived stem built on a verbal root meaning a quality (i.e. roughly a nominalization). The data described are then used to contribute to the CC debate in the field of PoS, by showing its relation with historical Indo-European linguistics, by critically analysing traditional labels such as noun, adjective, verb, root, stem and lexeme, and by questioning the alleged incommensurability between CCs and DCs.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Chapter 1. Linguistic categories, language description and linguistic typology – An overview 1
- Chapter 2. Towards standardization of morphosyntactic terminology for general linguistics 35
- Chapter 3. Universal underpinnings of language-specific categories 59
- Chapter 4. Typology of functional domains 101
- Chapter 5. Theories of language, language comparison, and grammatical description 137
- Chapter 6. Comparative concepts are not a different kind of thing 211
- Chapter 7. Essentials of the unityp research project 249
- Chapter 8. The non-universality of linguistic categories 279
- Chapter 9. Parts of speech, comparative concepts and Indo-European linguistics 313
- Chapter 10. Verbal vs. nominal reflexive constructions 367
- Chapter 11. The category ‘pronoun’ in East and Southeast Asian languages, with a focus on Japanese 389
- Subject index 411
- Language index 419
- Author index 421
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Chapter 1. Linguistic categories, language description and linguistic typology – An overview 1
- Chapter 2. Towards standardization of morphosyntactic terminology for general linguistics 35
- Chapter 3. Universal underpinnings of language-specific categories 59
- Chapter 4. Typology of functional domains 101
- Chapter 5. Theories of language, language comparison, and grammatical description 137
- Chapter 6. Comparative concepts are not a different kind of thing 211
- Chapter 7. Essentials of the unityp research project 249
- Chapter 8. The non-universality of linguistic categories 279
- Chapter 9. Parts of speech, comparative concepts and Indo-European linguistics 313
- Chapter 10. Verbal vs. nominal reflexive constructions 367
- Chapter 11. The category ‘pronoun’ in East and Southeast Asian languages, with a focus on Japanese 389
- Subject index 411
- Language index 419
- Author index 421
