The following chapters deal with one of the central concerns of syntactic theory since Ross (1967): How local is syntax and what are the measures of syntactic locality? These questions lie at the core, for example, of both the theory of movement and the theory of binding. A constant theme has been the issue of whether or not movement and anaphoric relations are governed by a unified concept of locality. I argue here that they are.

A recurrent issue in linguistic theory and psychology concerns the cognitive status of memorized lists and their internal structure. In morphological theory, the collections of inflected forms of a given noun, verb, or adjective into inflectional paradigms are thought to constitute one such type of list. This book focuses on the question of which elements in a paradigm can stand in a relation of partial or total phonological identity. Leading scholars consider inflectional identity from a variety of theoretical perspectives, with an emphasis on both case studies and predictive theories of where syncretism and other "paradigmatic pressures" will occur in natural language. The authors consider phenomena such as allomorphy and syncretism while exploring questions of underlying representations, the formal properties of markedness, and the featural representation of conjugation and declension classes.

The Second Edition of this book provides a comprehensive overview of the ways in which social theory has attempted to theorize the importance of the media in contemporary society. Now fully revised to take account of the recent theoretical developments associated with New Media and Information Society, as well as the audience and the public sphere, Understanding Media Cultures:
    * Critically examines the key social theories of mass communication
    * Highlights the work of individual theorists including Fiske, Williams, Hall, Habermas, Jameson, McLuhan and Baudrillard.
    * Covers the important traditions of media analysis from feminism, cultural studies and audience research.
    * Now includes a discussion of recent perspectives developed by Castells, Haraway, Virilio and Schiller.
    * Provides a glossary of key terms in media and social theory

 

The Blackwell Companion to Major Contemporary Social Theorists is a survey of contemporary social theory that focuses on the thinkers themselves. In original essays especially commissioned for this volume, leading experts and practitioners examine the life and work of 13 major theorists such as Elias, Baudrillard, Giddens, and Butler.

    * Includes 13 original essays by leading scholars on major contemporary social theorists.
    * Covers key figures such as Elias, Goffman, Foucault, Habermas, Giddens, Bourdieu, and Butler.
    * Essays include biographical sketches, the social and intellectual context, and the impact of the thinker's work on social theory generally.
    * Includes bibliographies of the theorist's most important works as well as key secondary works.
    * Can be used in conjunction with The Blackwell Companion to Major Classical Social Theorists, edited by George Ritzer, for a complete reference source in social theory.

This book explores thematic parallels between Max Weber's theory of the rationalisation and disenchantment of the modern world, and the critiques of contemporary culture developed by Lyotard, Foucault and Baudrillard. It is suggested that these three theorists, associated with poststructuralism and postmodernism, respond to Weber's account of the rise, nature, and trajectory of modern culture by pursuing highly imaginative and coherent strategies of affirmation and re-enchantment. Examining the work of these three key thinkers in this way casts new light on Weber's sociology of rationalisation and his theory of the crisis of modernity.