ASPECTS OF ARGUMENT STRUCTURE ACQUISITION IN INUKTITUT.Shanley E. M. Allen. Amsterdam: Benjamins, 1996. Pp. xvii + 248. $79.00cloth.

Abstract

The acquisition of Native American languages is an area of study in which there is still much work to be done, and this is especially true of Inuit languages. That alone makes Shanley Allen's Aspects of argument structure acquisition in Inuktitut a welcome addition to the list of publications on first language learning. The book is not, however, strictly intended for those who study Native American language acquisition. The extensive background information provided, both theoretical and methodological, makes Allen's work accessible to linguists with various interests. Furthermore, although her analysis is based largely on principles and parameters theory, she deliberately makes her research amenable to a variety of theoretical frameworks.