Sentential complementation in Akkadian

The issue of syntax, including diachronic syntax, is considerably more complex than the description of morphological or phonological systems. Large parts of the syntax of various Semitic languages in general and of Akkadian in particular need to be examined and described. G. Deutscher's Syntactic Change in Akkadian: The Evolution of Sentential Complementation is a serious attempt to give Akkadian a profound examination in an exemplary domain of the syntax of any language: sentential complementation and its concurrent strategies. The issue is scrutinized both from the inside, by evaluating the Akkadian material and drawing conclusions therefrom, and from the outside, by comparing the evolution attested along the historical path of the language to other languages. One of the virtues of this book is that, although it is meant to be a diachronic description, it provides synchronic facts, some for the first time, as the point of departure for its diachronic examination. In this review the results of the book are checked against both the linguistic facts and their possible interpretations. This is done in a few sub-categories: complementation, transitivity, the quotative construction, manipulation, and the adaptive process.