Gives an account of a field of fast increasing importance in both theoretical and descriptive linguistics. The aim of this book is to establish a universally valid framework for the objective description of linguistic function.

A book for linguists and qualitative discourse analysts

Those working in the areas of theoretical or descriptive linguistics will find Typological Discourse Analysis a valuable resource. It provides tools for linguists and offers a framework for the description of linguistic function. Functional parameters are presented that have been identified as important in the world's languages. This book also shares data from various languages for those linguists involved in language typology. It presents quantitative methods of analysis, while discussing topics of interest such as word order, clause-chaining and noun incorporation.