Selected Works of Jespersen in Linguistics

Author: Ren Shaozeng (Compiler)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: Otto Jespersen (Jens Otto Harry Jespersen, 1860–1943) is a renowned linguist and authority on English grammar, recognized both domestically and internationally by academia. This collection is compiled based on three aspects of Jespersen's academic contributions and his principles in linguistic research, divided into four parts:
Part 1 is selected from Man, Race, and Language. This part begins by discussing the relationship between language and speech, then explores the role of the individual in linguistic change, followed by an in-depth examination of the standards of correct language, and finally discusses human universals and linguistic universals.
Part 2 is on language and linguistic evolution. This part starts with fundamental issues of language, primarily focusing on language acquisition and child language, then shifts to the key focus of this section: the causes of linguistic change. This part is selected from On Language, but only three chapters are included. This is because in 1941, Jespersen summarized his half-century of research on linguistic evolution, supplementing previous discussions to provide a more comprehensive view. This is the third part of the collection, titled The Use of Language in Language Change.
Part 4 is on the philosophy of grammar, featuring theoretical sections from The Philosophy of Grammar, including Jespersen's fundamental views on language and grammar.