Christopher J. Hall – författare

The central concern of this book is the explanation of linguistic form. It examines in detail certain cross-linguistic patterns in morphological systems, providing unified explanations of the observation that suffixes predominate over prefixes and the correlation between affix position and syntactic head position. The explanation of the suffixing preference is one which appeals to principles of language processing, tempered by cognitive constraints underlying language change. These factors, coupled with generative morphological analysis, also provide an explanation for the head/affix correlation.

The extended case-study illustrates a unified, integrative approach to explanation in linguistics which stresses two major features: the search for cognitive or other functional principles that could potentially underlie formally specified regularities; and the need for a micro-analysis of the mechanisms of ‘linkage’ between regularity and explanation. The natural methodological consequence of such an approach is a move towards greater cooperation between the various subdisciplines of linguistics, as well as a greatly needed expansion of cross-disciplinary research. The author’s broad training in theoretical morphology, formal and typological universals, and language processing, allows him to cross traditional boundaries and view the complex interactions between theoretical linguistic principles and cognitive mechanisms with considerable clarity of vision.

The central concern of this book is the explanation of linguistic form. It examines in detail certain cross-linguistic patterns in morphological systems, providing unified explanations of the observation that suffixes predominate over prefixes and the correlation between affix position and syntactic head position. The explanation of the suffixing preference is one which appeals to principles of language processing, tempered by cognitive constraints underlying language change. These factors, coupled with generative morphological analysis, also provide an explanation for the head/affix correlation.

The extended case-study illustrates a unified, integrative approach to explanation in linguistics which stresses two major features: the search for cognitive or other functional principles that could potentially underlie formally specified regularities; and the need for a micro-analysis of the mechanisms of ‘linkage’ between regularity and explanation. The natural methodological consequence of such an approach is a move towards greater cooperation between the various subdisciplines of linguistics, as well as a greatly needed expansion of cross-disciplinary research. The author’s broad training in theoretical morphology, formal and typological universals, and language processing, allows him to cross traditional boundaries and view the complex interactions between theoretical linguistic principles and cognitive mechanisms with considerable clarity of vision.

The chapters in this book call attention to vulnerabilities, challenges and risks for applied linguistics researchers and the communities they work with across a broad range of contexts from the Global North and South, and in both signed and spoken languages. Together they provide insights on both academic and professional practice across several areas: the vulnerabilities involved in researching, the limitations of traditional epistemologies, the challenges inherent in the repertoire of methodologies and pedagogies employed by applied linguists, and the effectiveness of practical responses to language-related problems. The book encourages those involved in applied linguistics to consider their own practice and their relationship with the communities, policies and educational contexts they engage with in the course of their teaching, research and activism.