Language Universals and Linguistic Typology

A language universal is a pattern that occurs systematically in natural languages. It focuses on the study of generalizations across languages, related to perception, cognition and other abilities of the brain. Studies in this field of linguistics are closely associated with the field of linguistic typology, which studies and categorizes languages according to their structural characteristics. Its goal is to describe and explain the shared properties and the structural diversity of the languages in the world. Sub-disciplines of linguistic typology include qualitative typology, quantitative typology, theoretical typology, syntactic typology and lexical typology. This book discusses the fundamentals as well as modern approaches of language universals and linguistic typology. Its objective is to give a general view of the different areas of these fields, and their applications. This book attempts to assist those with a goal of delving into the field of linguistics.