Functional Approaches to Language, Culture and Cognition: Papers in honor of Sydney M. Lamb(163 Current Issues in Linguistic Theory)

This volume contains functional approaches to the description of language and culture, and language and cultural change. The approaches taken by the authors range from cognitive approaches including Stratificational grammar to more socially oriented ones including Systemic Functional linguistics. The volume is organized into two sections. The first section ‘Functional Approaches to the Structure of Language: Theory and Practice’ starts with contributions developing a Stratificational model; these are followed by contributions focusing on some related functional model of language; and by articles describing some particular set of language phenomena. In the second section ‘Functional Approaches to the History of Language and Linguistics’ general studies of language change are addressed first; a second group of contributions examines language change, lexicon and culture; and the last cluster of contributions treats the history of linguistics and culture.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction (by Copeland, James E.); 2. Biographical Sketch of Sydney MacDonald Lamb (by Lockwood, David G.); 3. Published Works of Sydney M. Lamb (by Lockwood, David G.); 4. Part I. Functional Approaches to the Structure of Language: Theory and Practice; 5. A. Cognitive Approaches: Theory; 6. 1. Valence and Phraseology in Stratificational Linguistics (by Muller, Ernst-August); 7. 2. A Neural Network Model of Language Production (by Christie, Jr., William M.); 8. 3. From Reticula to Trees: A Computerizable Model of Transduction from Semology to Lexology (by Herrick, Earl M.); 9. 4. Neurological Evidence for the Existence of an Autonomous Lexicon (by Pulju, Tim); 10. 5. Luminous Loci in Lex-Eco-Memory: Toward a Pragmo-Ecological Resolution of the Metaphysical Debate Concerning the Reality or Fictitiousness of Words (by Makkai, Adam); 11. 6. The Logic of Anataxis (by Sullivan, William J.); 12. 7. The Dilemma of the Welsh Sentence Particle: Empiricism in Stratificational Linguistics (by Griffen, Toby D.); 13. B. Related Approaches: Theory; 14. 8. The Development of Adequate Formalism in Linguistics (by Lehmann, Winfred P.); 15. 9. Parsing with a Chart and its Efficiency (by Lee, Chang-In); 16. 10. Language as Human Action (by Webster, Jonathan J.); 17. 11. Some Hermeneutic Observations on Textlinguistics and Text Theory in the Humanities (by Longacre, Robert E.); 18. 12. The Schemata for Motion and Action: A Typological Consideration (by Ikegami, Yoshihiko); 19. 13. The Iconicity of Consonant Alternation (by Wescott, Roger W.); 20. C. Functional Language Description; 21. 14. Grammar and Daily Life: Concurrence and Complementarity (by Halliday, M.A.K.); 22. 15. Translation and Text-Analysis (by Barbe, Katharina); 23. 16. Cognitive Networks in Conversation (by Meyer, Cynthia Ford); 24. 17. Some Stratificational Insights Concerning the English Noun Phrase (by Lockwood, David G.); 25. 18. Some Peculiar Adjectives in the English Nominal Group (by Fries, Peter H.); 26. 19. The ist- Prefix in Alabama (by Hardy, Heather K.); 27. 20. Attention to Microspace: Plotting the Connections of a Cultural Theme (by Regan, John); 28. 21. Toward Kawaiisu Poetics (by Hymes, Dell H.); 29. 22. The Effect of Rate of Speech on Laryngeal Timing in Medial Stops in Mongolian (by Rogers, Henry); 30. Part II. Functional Approaches to the History of Language and Linguistics; 31. A. Language Change: General Studies; 32. 23. Change - Linguistic and Societal (by Austerlitz, Robert); 33. 24. From First to Second Person: The History of Amerind *k(i) (by Greenberg, Joseph H.); 34. 25. The Grammaticalization of Lexicalized Manual Gesture in Tarahumara (by Copeland, James E.); 35. 26. Investigating Syntactic Change through Synchronic Textual Comparison: A Case Study (by Bennett, David C.); 36. 27. The Ablauts of l (by Hodge, Carleton T.); 37. B. Language Change: Lexicon and Culture; 38. 28. Notes On Hispanisms: California (by Bright, William); 39. 29. Slang and Lexicography (by Eble, Connie); 40. 30. On Sugar, Sumac and Sewers (by Householder, Fred W.); 41. 31. Why Kaka and Aya? (by Ruhlen, Merritt); 42. C. History of Linguistics and Culture; 43. 32. Medieval Views on the World and Nature (by Polome, Edgar C.); 44. 33. Linguistics in India: Past and Future (by Emeneau, Murray B.); 45. 34. Some Reflections of Vico in Semiotics (by Sebeok, Thomas A.); 46. 35. The Forerunners of Scientific Phonology: Diacritical Marks and Other Reforms in Orthography (by Levin, Saul); 47. 36. Early MT Research at M.I.T.: The Search for Context (by Yngve, Victor H.); 48. Index

Review :
I would recommend this book to all linguists [...] both for the breadth of its subject matter and for the overview it affords of some key aspects of American fuctionalism.