William Diver of Columbia University (1921-1995) critiqued the very roots of traditional and contemporary linguistics and founded a school of thought that aims for radical aposteriorism in accounting for the distribution of linguistic forms in authentic text. Grammatical and phonological analyses of Homeric Greek, Classical Latin, and Modern English reveal language to be an instrument whose structure is shaped by its communicative function and by the peculiarly human characteristics of its users. Diver's foundational works, many never before published, appear here newly edited and annotated, with introductions by the editors. The volume presents for the first time to a wide audience the depth and originality of Diver's iconoclastic thought.
Edited by:
Alan Huffman,
Joseph Davis
Imprint: Brill
Edition: annotated edition
Dimensions:
Height: 235mm,
Width: 155mm,
Spine: 38mm
Weight: 998g
ISBN: 9789004208582
ISBN 10: 9004208585
Pages: 574
Publication Date: 14 October 2011
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
General/trade
,
Undergraduate
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction: The Enduring Legacy of William Diver Alan Huffman PART I: INTRODUCTION TO DIVER’S THOUGHT 1. Substance and Value in Linguistic Analysis William Diver 2. The Nature of Linguistic Meaning William Diver 3. The Elements of a Science of Language William Diver PART II: GREEK 4. The Dual William Diver 5. Putting the Horse Before the Cart: Linguistic Analysis and Linguistic Theory William Diver 6. The System of Relevance of the Homeric Verb William Diver 7. Spheres of Interaction: Linguistic Analysis and Literary Analysis William Diver PART III: LATIN 8. The Subjunctive Without Syntax William Diver 9. Latin Voice and Case William Diver and Joseph Davis 10. Avoidance of the Obvious: The Pronoun as a Minimax Solution William Diver 11. The Latin Demonstratives William Diver 12. Latin se William Diver PART IV: PHONOLOGY 13. Phonology as Human Behavior William Diver 14. The Phonology of the Extremes Or, What is a Problem? William Diver and Joseph Davis 15. The Phonological Motivation for Verner’s Law and Grimm’s Law William Diver and Alan Huffman PART V: LINGUISTIC THEORIES 16. Traditional Grammar and Its Legacy in Twentieth-Century Linguistics William Diver, Joseph Davis, and Wallis Reid 17. Theory William Diver Part VI: RECAPITULATION: THE HISTORY OF LINGUISTICS 18. The History of Linguistics in the West: How the Study of Language Went Wrong in the Western Tradition William Diver Bibliography of William Diver General Bibliography
William Diver, Ph.D. (1953) in Linguistics, Columbia University, was Professor of Linguistics at Columbia University and the intellectual founder of the Columbia School of Linguistics. He was Professor Emeritus until his death in 1995. Alan Huffman, Ph.D. (1985) in Linguistics, Columbia University, is Professor of Linguistics and English in The City University of New York. He is the author of The Categories of Grammar: French lui and le (John Benjamins, 1997), and many articles on Columbia School linguistics. Joseph Davis, Ph.D. (1992) in Linguistics, Columbia University, is Associate Professor of Linguistics in the School of Education, The City College of New York. He was co-editor of Advances in Functional Linguistics: Columbia School Beyond its Origins (John Benjamins, 2006).
