The use of databases in cross-linguistic studies (Mouton de Gruyter, 2009)
Includes bibliographical references and indexes
Frontmatter; Contents; Introduction; Designing linguistic databases: A primer for linguists; A typological database of personal and demonstrative pronouns; Databases designed for investigating specific phenomena; How to integrate databases without starting a typology war: The Typological Database System; A contribution to 'two-dimensional' language description: the Typological Database of Intensifiers and Reflexives; StressTyp: A database for word accentual patterns in the world's languages; The typological database of the World Atlas of Language Structures
This book promotes the development of linguistic databases by describing a number of successful database projects, focusing especially on cross-linguistic and typological research. It has become increasingly clear that ready access to knowledge about cross-linguistic variation is of great value to many types of linguistic research. Such a systematic body of data is essential in order to gain a proper understanding of what is truly universal in language and what is determined by specific cultural settings. Moreover, it is increasingly needed as a tool to systematically evaluate contrasting theo