Almost all languages have some grammatical means for the linguistic categorization of nouns. Well-known systems such as the lexical numeral classifiers of South-East Asia, on the one hand, and the highly grammaticalized gender agreement classes of Indo-European languages, on the other, are the extremes of a contiuum. They can have a similar semantic basis, and one can develop from the other. Classifiers come in different morphological forms; they can be free nouns, clitics, or affixes. Some languages combine several varieties of classifiers. Different types of classifiers show varying correlations with other grammatical categories. In addition, they differ in their semantics, in the way they develop, and in the way they become obsolescent and disappear. These parameters are the basis for the typology of classifiers presented here. This book is almost certainly the most substantial cross-linguistic account of classifiers ever published. Its range of exemplification includes major and minor languages from every continent (several from the author's own fieldwork).The work combines original research with innovative analysis and will interest typologists, those working in the field of morphosyntactic variation and lexical semantics, and exponents of formal theories who wish to explain the range of linguistic diversity found in natural language.

在各种语法范畴中，数量范畴也许最为人所忽视，这多少是因为人们只是习惯于单数和复数这样的二元对立。然而，对于所有人类的语言而言，这仅仅是众多的可能性中的一种罢了。实际上，三种、四种、五种数的区分也并不少见。而汉语又是如何表现的？这也许仍然是一个值得探讨的问题。
本书作者收集了250种语言的相关材料，从更为宽阔的视野来分析数量范畴的可能系统，不但揭示了其表达的多样性，而且发现了各种令人意想不到的特殊功能。这一研究对于语言范畴的类型学探索具有非常重要的意义。也许可以说明语言之间的差异之丰富，比我们通常所认为的更为深远。

《博雅语言学书系:类型学视野的汉语名量词演变史》从类型学视野考察了汉语名量词的演变历史，详细描写并分析了汉语分类词产生、形成初期的情况，形状、功用、生物属性等各类量词的形成历史和规律，各时期量名搭配、名量搭配的变化，量词在非数量表达结构中的运用等。重点讨论了汉语名量词的产生动因、“反响型量词”以及通用量词在汉语量词发展史上的地位、量词这一语法范畴如何在汉语中扩散、指示代词与量词结合的历史、通用量词“个”是否泛化等问题。书中基于类型学的研究成果和大量的汉语史事实，提出了对这些问题的意见。既发现和概括了以往仅从汉语看汉语演变所不能看到的演变规律，又以汉语得天独厚的完整而丰富的历史材料补充了类型学分类词研究某些方面的欠缺。