books on functional linguistics john benjamins publishing would like to call your attention to the following new title in the field of functional linguistics : grammatical relations a functionalist perspective t . givon ( eds . ) 1997 viii , 350 pp . typological studies in language , 35 us / canada : cloth : 1 55619 645 8 price : us $ 86 . 00 paper : 1 55619 646 6 price : us $ 29 . 95 rest of the world : cloth : 90 272 2931 7 price : hfl . 165 , - - paper : 90 272 2932 5 price : hfl . 60 , - - john benjamins publishing web site : http : / / www . benjamins . com for further information via e-mail : service @ benjamins . com this volume presents a functional perspective on grammatical relations ( grs ) without neglecting their structural correlates . ever since the 1970s , the discussion of grs by functionally-oriented linguists has focused primarily on their functional aspects , such as reference , cognitive accessibility and discourse topicality . with some exceptions , functionalists have thus ceded the discussion of the structural correlates of grs to various formal schools . ever since edward keenan 's pioneering work on subject properties ( 1975 , 1976 ) , it has been apparent that subjecthood and objecthood can only be described properly by a basket of neither necessary nor sufficient properties - thus within a framework akin to rosch 's theory of prototype . some gr properties ar functional ( reference , topicality , accessibility ) ; others involve overt coding ( word-order , case marking , verb agreement ) . others yet are more abstract , involving control of grammatical processes ( rule-governed behavior ) . building on keenan 's pioneering work , this volume concentrates on the structural aspects of grs within a functionalist framework . following a theoretical introduction , the papers in the volume deal primarily with recalcitrant typological issues : the dissociation between overt coding properties of grs and their behavior-and - control properties ; grs in serial verb constructions ; grs in ergative languages ; the impact of clause union and grammaticalization on grs . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - bernadette martinez - keck tel : ( 215 ) 836-1200 publicity / marketing fax : ( 215 ) 836-1204 john benjamins north america e-mail : bernie @ benjamins . com po box 27519 philadelphia pa 19118-0519 check out the john benjamins web site : http : / / www . benjamins . com