Aspects of the Theory of Clitics [Hardcover]

The first book to cover the grammar of clitics from all points of view, including their phonology, morphology, and syntax, and the first comprehensive survey of clitic phenomena for twenty years. Written with exceptional clarity and based on a course given to graduate students.

1. Introduction
2. What is a Clitic?
3. The Phonology of Cliticization
4. Special Clitics and Their Grammar
5. Theories of Special Clitics
6. An Optimal Theory of Clitic Positioning
7. Verb Second as Alignment
8. Pronominal Clitics
9. Clause Structure and the Grammar of Incorporation

This book comes as a breath of fresh air. It is very clearly written, and is comprehensive in every way: it deals with a broad range of language types; it gives very clear comparisons with alternative theories; and it addresses all the important syntactic and phonological implications of the theory. It is a great feat to be able to pull all of these issues together and explain them in a way that is actually enjoyable to read. --Margaret Speas, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Important and much needed.... An invaluable contribution to our understanding of the grammar of clitics. By effectively employing several components of the grammar to jointly account for the grammar of clitics, it seriously casts doubt on approaches that promote single component perspectives on this phenomenon. This study will undoubtedly be a cornerstone in any future debates on this important topic. --Journal of Word Structure

Stephen R. Anderson is Professor of Linguistics, Psychology and Cognitive Science at Yale University. He has previously taught at Harvard University, UCLA, Stanford, and The Johns Hopkins University. Among his other books areA-Morphous Morphology(1992),The Language Organ, co-authored by David Lightfoot (2002), andDoctor Dolittle's Delusion: Animals and the Uniqueness of Human Language(2004). He is a Fellow of l“g