| Markedness: The Evaluative Superstructure of Language Contributor(s): Battistella, Edwin L. (Author) |
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ISBN: 079140370X ISBN-13: 9780791403709 Publisher: State University of New York Press OUR PRICE: $33.20 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: September 1990 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Language Arts & Disciplines | Linguistics - General - Language Arts & Disciplines | Rhetoric |
| Dewey: 410 |
| LCCN: 89029453 |
| Series: Suny Linguistics |
| Physical Information: (0.82 lbs) 265 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Battistella traces the development of markedness theory as a central part of structuralist theories of language. He outlines the concepts of marked and unmarked from Prague School structuralism to present day applications in linguistic theory and cultural analysis, using the reference point of English grammar and sound structure. The author focuses on the fundamental asymmetry between terms of linguistic relationships, in which one term is more broadly defined and hence dominant (the unmarked term) while the other is more narrowly defined (the marked term). In addition to examining language-particular markedness relations evident in the structure and history of English, Battistella raises questions concerning universal asymmetries as well. He discusses the status of markedness as a unifying concept of linguistic structure and as a principle of language change. |