Despite a history of hundreds of years of research analysing aspects of English grammar, there are still open problems which continue to baffle language researchers today. Such ‘grammar mysteries’ arise for a number of reasons: because the language is changing; because different speakers of the language adhere to distinct norms and thus introduce and maintain variation in the system; because there are differences between the grammar of spoken and written English. This book illuminates some of the complexities of the subject, the areas where new discoveries await and why it matters.
Through a series of accessible and engaging case studies on various aspects of grammar, from multiple negation to possession, the authors present grammar as an intellectual challenge. This book brings out into the open questions about language usage to which we still do not have good answers in a bid to make variation overt and to revel in the mystery of the English language.
Both aimed at the interested general reader and the beginning student of English language and linguistics, this is a fresh take on grammar.
尽管对英语语法方面的研究分析已有数百年的历史，但今天仍然有一些悬而未决的问题继续困扰着语言研究人员。出现这种“语法之谜”的原因有很多：因为语言在变化；因为该语言的不同使用者遵守不同的规范，从而在系统中引入和维持变化；因为英语口语和书面语的语法存在差异。本书阐明了该主题的一些复杂性、等待新发现的领域以及它为何重要。
通过一系列关于语法各个方面的易于理解和引人入胜的案例研究，从多重否定到占有，作者将语法呈现为一种智力挑战。本书提出了关于语言使用的开放性问题，这些问题我们仍然没有很好的答案，以期使变化变得明显并陶醉于英语的奥秘。
两者都针对有兴趣的普通读者和英语语言学的初学者，这是对语法的全新诠释。
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