"The discovery of “linguistic universals”, the properties that all languages have
in common, is a fundamental goal of linguistic research. Linguists face the task of accounting for why languages, which apparently differ so greatly from
one another on the surface, display striking similarities in their underlying
structure. This volume brings together a team of leading experts to show how
different linguistic theories have approached this challenge. Drawing on work
from both formal and functional perspectives, it provides a comprehensive
overview of the most notable work on linguistic universals, with chapters
on syntax, semantics, phonology, morphology, and typology, and explores a
range of central issues, such as the relationship between linguistic universals
and the language faculty, and what linguistic universals can tell us about our
biological make-up and cognitive abilities. Clear, succinct, and fully up-todate,
it will be invaluable to anyone seeking a greater understanding of the
phenomenon that is human language."
