Classifiers A Typology of Noun Categorization Devices [Paperback]

Almost all languages have some grammatical means for categorizing nouns. This book provides a comprehensive and original analysis of noun categorization devices all over the world. It will interest typologists, those working in the fields of morphosyntactic variation and lexical semantics, as well as anthropologists and all other scholars interested in the mechanisms of human cognition.

Chapter 1: Preliminaries
Chapter 2: Noun Class and Gender Systems
Chapter 3: Noun Classifiers
Chapter 4: Numeral Classifiers
Chapter 5: Classifiers in Possessive Constructions
Chapter 6: Verbal Classifiers
Chapter 7: Locative and Deictic Classifiers
Chapter 8: Different Classifier Types in One Language
Chapter 9: Multiple Classifier Languages
Chapter 10: Classifiers and Other Grammatical Categories
Chapter 11: Semantics of Noun Categorization Devices
Chapter 12: Semantic Organization and Functions of Noun Categorization
Chapter 13: Origin and Development of Noun Categorization Devices
Chapter 14: Noun Categorization Devices in Language Acquisition and Dissolution
Chapter 15: Conclusions
Appendix 1: Noun Categorization by Means Other than Classifiers
Appendix 2: From Nouns to Classifiers: Further Examples of Semantic Change
Appendix 3: Fieldworker's Guide to Classifier Languages

Classifiersis a superbly realized work of typology, remarkable for its encyclopedic breadth, its analytic precision, and especially its wealth of data... This book will surely prove to be an essential, invaluable reference for the future research on the principles of noun categorization --GeneralLinguistics

This is a major contribution to the field. ... I recommend Aikhenvald's book to linguists in general, and especially anyone interested in language typology or cognition. --Linguist List

Alexandra Aikhenvaldhas been Professor of Linguistics at the Australian National“M