Advances in Functional Linguistics: Columbia School beyond its origins: 57 (Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics)

This collection carries the functionalist Columbia School of linguistics forward with contributions on linguistic theory, semiotics, phonology, grammar, lexicon, and anthropology. Columbia School linguistics views language as a symbolic tool whose structure is shaped both by its communicative function and by the characteristics of its users, and considers contextual, pragmatic, physical, and psychological factors in its analyses. This volume builds upon three previous Columbia School anthologies and further explores issues raised in them, including fundamental theoretical and analytical questions. And it raises new issues that take Columbia School “beyond its origins.” The contributions illustrate both consistency since the school’s inception over thirty years ago and innovation spurred by groundbreaking analysis. The volume will be of interest to all functional linguists and historians of linguistics. Languages analyzed include Byelorussian, English, Japanese, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, and Swahili. Review This volume represents a welcome addition to the literature on functional linguistics from the perspective of one of the most radically ambitious and creative groups of linguists in the field. The papers analyzing the group’s origins in the thinking of Saussure and Diver provide a valuable historical foundation. The inclusion of papers on both grammar and phonology testifies to the maturity and wide theoretical relevance of the approach, and the excursus into areas beyond language testifies to the breadth of its applicability for anthropological thinking. -- Ricardo Otheguy, Program in Linguistics, Graduate Center, City University of New York All linguists ― of whatever theoretical persuasion or language area ― need to read this rich and valuable book. Whatever you believe as a linguist, you will learn things here that you will not learn elsewhere, including both linguistic data and explanations of the sort simply not offered in other approaches, formal or functional. Optimality theorists, take note! Generative, Cognitive, and Grammaticalization theorists, take note! -- Robert S. Kirsner, Professor of Dutch and Afrikaans, University of California, Los Angeles For all linguists, familiar or not with the Columbia School approach to linguistic analysis, this volume is an invitation to revisit and reconsider many, perhaps most, fundamental goals and concepts in linguistics which are taken for granted and/or often ignored by most other approaches. For the first time an entire volume is devoted exclusively to an inside conversation among practitioners of the Columbia School. Eavesdroppers from other theoretical practices will find much of value in the issues raised, for the insights offered by both the general theoretical discussions and internal debates within this school, on one hand, and the particular analyses proposed for a variety of languages. -- Benji Wald, Research Scientist, formerly Professor of Linguistics at UCLA, National Center for Bilingual Research, Speech Systems Inc.