Peter Jenks, Lev Michael

The five papers in this volume are intended as guides for linguists engaged in language documentation and description. Each contribution provides the conceptual background, central concepts, and where relevant, diagnostic criteria and tests, for working on five central aspects of language. The topics covered include the documentation of speech play and verbal art, information structure, basic semantic concepts in domains of definiteness and indefiniteness, tense and aspect, and valency-changing constructions and processes.