According to Chomsky, to learn a language is to develop a grammar for it – a generative grammar which assigns a definite structure and a definite meaning to each of a definite set of sentences. This forms the speaker’s linguistic competence, which represents a distinct faculty of the mind, called the faculty of language. This view has been widely criticised, from many separate angles and by many different authors, including some of Chomsky’s pupils. As one of the earliest and most persistent critics, Professor Matthews is especially well placed to tie these arguments together. He concludes that Chomsky’s notion of competence finds no support within linguistics. It can be defended, if at all, only by assuming a traditional philosophy of mind. The notion of grammar should therefore be restricted to descriptive linguistics, and should not have psychological interpretations foisted on it. Peter Matthews’ book covers a variety of topics, from morphology to speech acts, from word meaning to the study of language variation, and from blending in syntax to the relation of language and culture. This wide range of subject matter is incisively handled in a style which is both elegant and economical.

Generative Grammar and Linguistic Competence

Reference

Matthews, P.H.

Words, Language & Grammar

Unwin Hyman

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics is the most authoritative and up-to-date dictionary of linguistics available. Written by distinguished and highly respected scholar Peter Matthews, this handy reference contains over 3,000 concise and informative entries on everything from phonetics to formal semantics. Including world-wide coverage of languages and language families, the Concise provides grammatical terms in English as well as grammatical categories in other languages. Matthews also offers extensive coverage of the theory of language, language history, and important ideas and figures in linguistics. A directory of symbols is included for quick and easy reference. With entries ranging from epiglottal and morpheme to Austronesian and Navajo, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics is the ideal reference for anyone with an interest in language and its study.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics (Oxford Quick Reference)

Dictionaries & Thesauruses

Oxford University Press

Linguistics falls in the gap between arts and science, on the edges of which the most fascinating discoveries and the most important problems are found. Beginning at the 'arts' end of the subject with the common origins of languages, and finishing at the 'science' end with the newest discoveries regarding language in the brain, this stimulating guide covers all the major aspects of linguistics from a refreshing and insightful angle. About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.

Linguistics: A Very Short Introduction

Foreign Language Study & Reference

This book explains how the grammarians of the Graeco-Romance world perceived the nature and structure of the languages they taught. The volume focuses primarily on the early centuries AD, a time when the Roman Empire was at its peak; in this period, a grammarian not only had a secure place in the ancient system of education, but could take for granted an established technical understanding of language. By delineating what that ancient model of grammar was, P. H. Matthews highlights both those aspects that have persisted to this day and seem reassuringly familiar, such as 'parts of speech', as well as those aspects that are wholly dissimilar to our present understanding of grammar and language. The volume is written to be accessible to students of linguistics from undergraduate level upwards, and assumes no knowledge of Latin or Ancient Greek.

What Graeco-Roman Grammar Was About

Here is the most authoritative and up-to-date dictionary of linguistics available, fully revised for the second edition. Written by distinguished authority Peter Matthews, this handy reference includes over 3,150 entries providing worldwide coverage of languages and language families, grammatical terms in English as well as grammatical categories in other languages. Matthews also offers extensive coverage of the theory of language, language history, and important ideas and figures in linguistics. A directory of symbols is included for quick and easy reference. The new edition boasts greatly enhanced coverage of sociolinguistics, making it an ideal reference for those studying linguistics. It also includes entries on notable recent theorists in the field, such as Del Hymes and Peter Trudgill. With entries ranging from "epiglottal" and "morpheme" to "Austronesian" and "Navajo," The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics, Second Edition remains an ideal reference for students and teachers in language-related courses, and a great introduction to linguistics for the general reader with an interest in language and its study.

The third edition of The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics is an authoritative and invaluable reference source covering every aspect of the wide-ranging field of linguistics. In 3,250 entries this dictionary spans grammar, phonetics, semantics, languages (spoken and written), dialects, and sociolinguistics. Clear examples - and diagrams where appropriate - help to convey the meanings of even the most technical terms. It also incorporates entries on key scholars of linguistics, both ancient and modern, summarizing their specialisms and achievements. With existing entries thoroughly revised and updated, and the addition of 100 new entries, this new edition expands its coverage of semantics, as well as recently emerging terminology within, for example, syntactic theory and sociolinguistics.

This book explores the uses of adjectives in different constructions, and of the problems that arise in their analysis, both in terms of syntactic theory and philosophy of grammar. Professor Matthews also examines a variety of other issues relating to individual adjective positions, including the basic structure of noun phrases and the justification for binary constituents; the status of the copular and its uses in the progressive; the indeterminacy of what were once described as raised constructions; and the function of postmodifying adjectives and adjective phrases in relation to others.The book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in theoretical and descriptive linguistics, especially those focusing on the history of the English language and lexicology.

The Positions of Adjectives in English

According to Chomsky, to learn a language is to develop a grammar for it – a generative grammar which assigns a definite structure and a definite meaning to each of a definite set of sentences. This forms the speaker’s linguistic competence, which represents a distinct faculty of the mind, called the faculty of language. This view has been widely criticised, from many separate angles and by many different authors, including some of Chomsky’s pupils. As one of the earliest and most persistent critics, Professor Matthews is especially well placed to tie these arguments together. He concludes that Chomsky’s notion of competence finds no support within linguistics. It can be defended, if at all, only by assuming a traditional philosophy of mind. The notion of grammar should therefore be restricted to descriptive linguistics, and should not have psychological interpretations foisted on it. Peter Matthews’ book covers a variety of topics, from morphology to speech acts, from word meaning to the study of language variation, and from blending in syntax to the relation of language and culture. This wide range of subject matter is incisively handled in a style which is both elegant and economical.

Generative Grammar and Linguistic Competence (RLE Linguistics B: Grammar)

Routledge

Inflectional Morphology: A Theoretical Study Based on Aspects of Latin Verb Conjugation (Cambridge Studies in Linguistics, Series Number 6)

Originally published in 1972, this was the most thorough discussion of morphological theory to appear in recent years, and one of the few to be based directly on an 'inflecting' or 'fusional' language - in this case Latin. The book is addressed to theoretical and descriptive linguists in general and no knowledge of Latin is assumed.

Cambridge University Press

Morphology: An Introduction to the Theory of Word-Structure (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics)

This is an updated and substantially revised edition of Peter Matthews's well-known Morphology, first published in 1974. It includes chapters on inflectional and lexical morphology, derivational processes and productivity, compounds, paradigms, and much new material on markedness and other aspects of iconicity. As in the first edition, the theoretical discussion is eclectic and critical: its scope ranges from the ancient grammarians to the work of Chomsky and his followers, the disintegration of the classical Chomskyan scheme, and the renewed standing of morphology and historical linguistics in recent years. The examples are drawn from English and other European languages, both ancient and modern. The work will appeal to both specialists in particular languages--it contains much original material--and students of general linguistics. For this new edition much now obsolete discussion has been removed and replaced by discussion of current trends, and the further reading sections have been thoroughly updated.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Matthews, P.H.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Matthews, P.H.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Matthews, P.H.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Generative Grammar and Linguistic Competence

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics (Oxford Quick Reference)

Linguistics: A Very Short Introduction

What Graeco-Roman Grammar Was About

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics (Oxford Quick Reference)

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics (Oxford Quick Reference)

The Positions of Adjectives in English

Generative Grammar and Linguistic Competence (RLE Linguistics B: Grammar)

Inflectional Morphology: A Theoretical Study Based on Aspects of Latin Verb Conjugation (Cambridge Studies in Linguistics, Series Number 6)

Morphology: An Introduction to the Theory of Word-Structure (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics)