Many works on linguistic typology deal in some detail with one or more particular
grammatical topics without clearly demonstrating how these relate to other categories
or construction types. The Essence of Linguistic Analysis presents a framework which
connects individual topics in a cogent and coherent way, showing their dependencies
and locating each in its place within the overall tapestry of a language. Alongside the
recurrent cross-linguistic framework, attention is paid to non-canonical associations
such as nominals functioning as predicates, and split- and fluid-S marking. A clear distinction
is made between semantic roles and syntactic functions. And it is held that
the basic constituents of a language are lexical elements. Grammatical items serve to
link together lexical units. At every level of analysis, the central units are lexical with
grammar providing ancillary indicators. There is a commentary on ersatz theoretical
approaches which obscure the underlying template of a language.