Numeral Classifiers and Classifier Languages: Chinese, Japanese, and Korean

Focussing mainly on classifiers, Numeral Classifier and Classifier Languages offers a deep investigation of the three major classifier languages: Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. It provides detailed discussions well supported by empirical evidence and corpus analyses. Theoretical hypotheses regarding differences and commonalities between numeral classifier languages and other mainly article languages are tested to seek universals or typological characteristics. The essays collected here from leading scholars in their field promise to be greatly significant in the field of linguistics for several reasons. First, it targets the three representative classifier languages in Asia. It also provides critical clues and suggests solutions for the syntactic and semantic issues of the classifier constructions. Finally, it discusses the ensuing debates that may arise in relation to the field of linguistics in general. This book should be of great interest to advanced students and scholars of East Asian languages.