This book addresses a question fundamental to any discussion of grammatical theory and grammatical variation: to what extent can principles of grammar be explai

This book presents a challenge to the widely-held assumption that human languages are both similar and constant in their degree of complexity. For a hundred yea

This book argues that major patterns of variation across languages are structured by general principles of efficiency in language use and communication, an appr

John Hawkins demonstrates a clear link between how languages are used and the conventions of their grammars. He sets out a theory in which performance shapes gr

This book represents the state of the art in the study of gradience in grammar - the degree to which utterances are acceptable or grammatical, and the relations