Christopher Lucas

This is the second book in a two-volume comparative history of negation in the languages of Europe and the Mediterranean. The work integrates typological, general, and theoretical research, documents patterns and directions of change in negation across languages, and examines the linguistic and social factors that lie behind such changes. The aim of both volumes is to set out an integrated framework for understanding the syntax of negation and how it changes. While the first volume (OUP, 2013) presented linked case studies of particular languages and language groups, this second volume constructs a holistic approach to explaining the patterns of historical change found in the languages of Europe and the Mediterranean over the last millennium. It identifies typical developments found repeatedly in the histories of different languages and explores their origins, as well as investigating the factors that determine whether change proceeds rapidly, slowly, or not at all. Language-internal factors such as the interaction of syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, and the biases inherent in child language acquisition, are investigated alongside language-external factors such as imposition, convergence, and borrowing. The book proposes an explicit formal account of language-internal and contact-induced change for both the expression of sentential negation ('not') and negative indefinites ('anyone', 'nothing'). It sheds light on the major ways in which negative systems develop, on the nature of syntactic change, and indeed on linguistic change more generally, demonstrating the insights that large-scale comparison of linguistic histories can offer.

Long before David Letterman made it a nightly ritual, groupings of ten seemed to be the most common form of list making (commandments, amendments, FBI most wanted, etc.) Top 10 lists abound for everything today, from movies and music to sports and politics. There is so much Disney history to cover, however, that it can’t be contained in one simple list, thus “The Top 100 Top Ten of Disney.” There is not a person on Earth who hasn’t come into contact with Disney in some way. Whether seeing a Disney film, hearing a Disney song, recognizing a Disney character or visiting a Disney park, the company’s reach is global. The Top 100 Top Ten of Disney will collect the best of the best of Disney in a book of lists. From Walt himself and the beginning of his company, to his successors who have broadened the reach of the Disney brand well beyond where even Walt could have imagined it, this book will cover every aspect of the 93 years of history that Disney has to offer. In it you will find information on everything from Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Queen Elsa, to the billion dollar acquisitions of Marvel and Lucasfilm. Written for casual and die-hard fans alike, The Top 100 Top Ten of Disney will revisit some familiar characters, films, songs, rides, and personalities associated with Disney but will also uncover some forgotten, obscure and overlooked parts of the company as well, such as the unlikely Disney films Victory Through Air Power (1943) and The Story of Menstruation (1946). The book will be laid out in easy to read “bite size” pieces. It will be one of those books that the whole family can enjoy and can be picked up and referred to again and again. Author Bio: Christopher Lucas is a lifelong fan of all things Disney. His admiration for Walt, and the company he built, led Chris to create a one person show called “Of Mouse and Man” which has been performed in several colleges, theaters and civic centers. He is also the co-author of Seeing Home: The Ed Lucas Story, the critically acclaimed book released by Simon & Schuster and Derek Jeter Publishing in April 2015. Christopher lives in suburban New Jersey with his two young sons. His goal someday is to take a vacation somewhere that doesn’t involve a visit to a Disney theme park.