
Latin Is Often Described As A Free Word Order Language, But In General Each Word Order Encodes A Particular Information Structure: In That Sense, Each Word Order Has A Different Meaning. Pragmatics For Latin Provides A Descriptive Analysis Of Latin Information Structure Based On Detailed Philological Evidence And Elaborates A Syntax-pragmatics Interface That Formalizes The Informational Content Of The Various Different Word Orders. Using A Slightly Adjusted Version Of The Structured Meanings Theory, The Book Shows How The Pragmatic Meanings Matching The Different Word Orders Arise Naturally And Spontaneously Out Of The Compositional Process As An Integral Part Of A Single Semantic Derivation Covering Denotational And Informational Meaning At One And The Same Time.
This book investigates how Latin word order functions as a mechanism for encoding information structure rather than operating as a purely free syntactic system. The authors, A. M. Devine and Laurence D. Stephens, utilize extensive philological evidence to construct a formal syntax-pragmatics interface. By applying a modified version of the structured meanings theory, they argue that pragmatic meaning is an inherent, compositional component of semantic derivation in Latin.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Scholars and linguists recognize this work as a rigorous, technical examination of Latin syntax that moves beyond traditional descriptive grammar. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is intended for advanced students and specialists in classical philology.
Page Count:
200
Publication Date:
2019-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190939486
ISBN-13:
9780190939489
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