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Parts of speech: Solid citizens or slippery customers?
Denison, David
Journal of the British Academy. 2013;1:151-185.
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Abstract
The âparts of speechâ which have played a fundamental role in most descriptions of grammar, from primary school curriculum to advanced linguistic theory, are explored in this article, which considers some intriguing changes in recent everyday English that challenge traditional assumptions about the definition and usefulness of word classes such as âpronounâ, âadjectiveâ and ânounâ. The article raises important questions about what happens at the boundaries between these word classes and looks at how we can answer these questionsâpotentially changing the direction of both future linguistic research and pedagogical practice.
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category; dual inheritance; gradience; grammar in schools; part of speech; underspecification; vagueness
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- Journal of the British Academy http://www.britac.ac.uk/journal/1/Denison.cfm