本书是当代语言类型学的第一部综合性导论著作，被广泛用作该学科的教科书，对当代语言类型学的发展起了极大的推动作用。主要内容有：语言共性；语言类型；语义和语用角色、因素；词序；格标记；关系小句；使用结构；生命度；类型和历史语言等。

本书是当代语言类型学的第一部综合性导论著作，被广泛用作该学科的教科书，对当代语言类型学的发展起了极大的推动作用。本书区别于一般导论教科书的特点是并非面面俱到，而是对某些有趣的论题作较为深入的探讨，因此可读性比较强，并可以从中学到更多实质性的分析和研究思路。此外，由于本书举例丰富，也可以增强我国读者对语言多样性的认识，大大开阔视野。

导读

Preface to the second edtion

Preface to thefirst edition

PrefacetOthe secondprinting

1 LANGUAGE UNIVERSALS

1.1 APPROACHES TO LANGUAGE UNIVERSALs

1.1.1 Ttoo major approaches

1.1.2 The data base

1.1.3 Dqrees ofabstracmtss

1.2 CLAUIFICATION OF LANGUAGg UNIVERSALS

1.2.1 Formal and substantive universals

1.2.2 Implicational and non-implicational universals

1.2.3 Absolute universals and tendencies

1.3 EXPLANATIONS FOR LANGUAGE UNIVERSALS

1.3.1 Commongenetic origin

1.3.2 External explanations

1.4 SUMMARY

Notes and references

2 LANGUAGE TYPOLOGY

2.1 TYPOLOGY AND UNIVERSALS

2.2 TYlPIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS

2.3 MOP.PHOLOGICAL TYPOLOGY

2.4 SOME FURTHER TYPOLOGICAL PARAMETERS Notes and references

3 THEORETICAL PREREQUISITES

3.1 SEMANTIC ROLES

3.2 PRAGMATIC ROLES

3.3 GRAMMATICAL RELATIONS

3.4 MORPHOLOGICAL CASES

3.5 ILLUSTRATION：ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN

CLAUSE STRUCTURE

Notes and references

4 WORD ORDER

4.1 WORD ORDBR PARAMETERS

4.2 CORRELATIONS AMONG WORD ORDER PARAMETErs

4.2.1 Greenberg’s correlations

4.2.2 Generalizations of Greenberg's results

4.2.3 Critique ofthegeneralizations

4.3 THE VALUE OF WORD ORDER TYPOLOGY

Notes and references

5 SUBJECT

5.1 THE PROBLEM

5.2 ON DEFINITIONS AND CATBGPRIES

5.3 ERGATIVITY

5.4 SEMANTIC AND PRAGMATIC FACTORS

Notes and references

6 CASE MARKING

6.1 THE DISCRIMINATORY FUNCTION OF CASES

6.2 NATURAL INFORMATION FLOW IN THE

TRANSITIVE CONSTRUCTION

6.2.1 lnverseforms

6.2.2 Differential marking of A and P

6.3 SUMMARY

Notes and references

7 RELATIVE CLAUSES

7. 1 SOME TYPOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ENGLISH RELATIVE CLAUSES

7.2 TYPES OF RELATIVE CLAUSE

7.2. 1 Defining the notion relative clause

7.2.2 Word order and relative clause types

7.2.3 The role of the head in the relative clause

7.2.4 The role of the head in the main clause

7.3 ACCESSIBILITY TO RELATIVE CLAUSE FORMATION

7.3. 1 Simplex sentences

7.3.2 Complex constructions

7.3.3 The distribution of relative clause types Notes and references

8 CAUSATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS

8. 1 PARAMETERS IN THE STUDY OF CAUSATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS

8. 1. 1 Formal parameters

8. 1 .2 Semantic parameters

8.2 VALENCY CHANGES IN MORPHOLOGICAL CAUSATIVES Notes and references

9 ANIMACY

9.1 INTRODUCTION : THE NATURE OF ANIMACY

9.2 PHENOMENA CONTROLLED BY ANIMACY

9.3 CONCEPTUAL ANIMACY DISTINCTIONS

9.4 CONCLUSIONS" THE NATURE OF ANIMACY Notes and references

10 TYPOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS

10.1 DIACHRONIC DIMENSIONS IN UNIVERSALS AND TYPOLOGY

10.2 AREAL TYPOLOGY

10.3 TYPOLOGY AND RECONSTRUCTION

10.3.1 Word order typology

10.3.2 Word order and morpheme order

10.4 TYPOLOGY AND DIACHRONIC EXPLANATION Notes and references

11 CONCLUSIONS AND PROSPECTS

Map showing location of languages cited

References

Index of languages

Index of proper

Index of topics