Languages and Prehistory of Central Siberia
Languages and Prehistory of Central Siberia

Author: Edward J. Vajda

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2004-01-01

Total Pages: 286

ISBN-13: 9027247765

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The twelve articles in this volume describe Yeniseic, Samoyedic and Siberian Turkic languages as a linguistic complex of great interest to typologists, grammarians, diachronic and synchronic linguists, as well as cultural anthropologists. The articles demonstrate how interdependent the disparate languages spoken in this area actually are. Individual articles discuss borrowing and language replacement, as well as compare the development of language subsystems, such as numeral words in Ket and Selkup. Three of the articles also discuss the historical and anthropological origins of the tribes of this area. The book deals with linguistics from the vantage of both historical anthropology as well as diachronic and synchronic linguistic structure. The editor's introduction offers a concise summary of the diverse languages of this area, with attention to both their differences and similarities. A major feature uniting them is their mutual interaction with the unique Yeniseic language family – the only group in North Asia outside the Pacific Rim that does not belong to Uralic or Altaic. Except for the papers by Anderson and Harrison, all of the articles were originally written in Russian and they are made available in English here for the first time.

Language Empires in Comparative Perspective
Language Empires in Comparative Perspective

Author: Christel Stolz

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2015-03-10

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 3110408473

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The notion of empire is associated with economic and political mechanisms of dominance. For the last decades, however, there has been a lively debate concerning the question whether this concept can be transferred to the field of linguistics, specifically to research on situations of language spread on the one hand and concomitant marginalization of minority languages on the other. The authors who contributed to this volume concur as to the applicability of the notion of empire to language-related issues. They address the processes, potential merits and drawbacks of language spread as well as the marginalization of minority languages, language endangerment and revitalization, contact-induced language change, the emergence of mixed languages, and identity issues. An emphasis is on the dominance of non-Western languages such as Arabic, Chinese, and, particularly, Russian. The studies demonstrate that the emergence, spread and decline of language empires is a promising area of research, particularly from a comparative perspective.

The Languages and Linguistics of Northern Asia
The Languages and Linguistics of Northern Asia

Author: Edward Vajda

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2024-03-04

Total Pages: 528

ISBN-13: 3111378381

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The Languages and Linguistics of Northern Asia: A Comprehensive Guide surveys the indigenous languages of Asia’s North Pacific Rim, Siberia, and adjacent portions of Inner Eurasia. It provides in-depth descriptions of every first-order family of this vast area, with special emphasis on family-internal subdivision and dialectal differentiation. Individual chapters trace the origins and expansion of the region’s widespread pastoral-based language groups as well as the microfamilies and isolates spoken by northern Asia’s surviving hunter-gatherers. Separate chapters cover sparsely recorded languages of early Inner Eurasia that defy precise classification and the various pidgins and creoles spread over the region. Other chapters investigate the typology of salient linguistic features of the area, including vowel harmony, noun inflection, verb indexing (also known as agreement), complex morphologies, and the syntax of complex predicates. Issues relating to genealogical ancestry, areal contact and language endangerment receive equal attention. With historical connections both to Eurasia’s pastoral-based empires as well as to ancient population movements into the Americas, the steppes, taiga forests, tundra and coastal fringes of northern Asia offer a complex and fascinating object of linguistic investigation.

Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2005
Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2005

Author: Sergio Baauw

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 358

ISBN-13: 9789027248060

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The conference series Going Romance is the major European discussion forum for theoretically relevant research on Romance languages, where ideas about language and linguistics and about Romance languages are put in an interactive perspective, giving space to both universality and Romance-internal variation. The current volume features a selection of 18 articles (out of 28) that were presented during the 19th meeting at Utrecht University, December 8-10, 2005. Included in this volume are four papers that were presented by invited speakers: Belletti, Delais-Roussarie & Rialland, Notley & Van der Linden & Hulk, and Ordóñez; these reflect both issues discussed in the general session as well as themes of the workshop on acquisition. A number of reknown Romance linguists (Saltarelli, di Sciullo, Zubizarreta) also contributed to the volume. In general, contributions bear on a variety of topics in the field of morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics and include the perspective from acquisition.

Shared Grammaticalization
Shared Grammaticalization

Author: Martine Robbeets

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2013-02-28

Total Pages: 378

ISBN-13: 902727214X

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This book offers fresh perspectives on “shared grammaticalization”, a state whereby two or more languages have the source and the target of a grammaticalization process in common. While contact-induced grammaticalization has generated great interest in recent years, far less attention has been paid to other factors that may give rise to shared grammaticalization. This book intends to put this situation right by approaching shared grammaticalization from an integrated perspective, including areal as well as genealogical and universal motivations and by searching for ways to distinguish between these factors. The volume offers a wealth of empirical facts, presented by internationally renowned specialists, on the Transeurasian languages (i.e. Japonic, Koreanic, Tungusic, Mongolic, and Turkic) — the languages in focus —as well as on various other languages. Shared Grammaticalization will appeal to scholars and advanced students concerned with linguistic reconstruction, language contact and linguistic typology, and to anyone interested in grammaticalization theory.

Iconicity in Language
Iconicity in Language

Author: Raffaele Simone

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 1995-02-10

Total Pages: 334

ISBN-13: 9027285705

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Several current linguistic approaches converge in rejecting the wide-spread idea that language is an autonomous system, i.e. that it is structured independently from the outside world and the natural equipment of language users. Around the world, semiotically biased linguistics (functionalism, naturalism, etc.) takes this position, which differentiates it very clearly from generative linguistics. One of the basic assumptions of such approaches is that language structure includes some non-arbitrary aspects, from the phonological through the textual level, and a great amount of research has occurred in the last decade regarding the “iconic aspects” of language(s). This volume focuses on generally neglected dimensions of language and semiotic activity, featuring contributions by philosophers, linguists, semioticians, and psychologists. After tracing the tradition of iconicity in the history of linguistic thought, the central section is devoted to specific analyses emphasizing the role of non-arbitrary phenomena in language foundation and linguistic structure. Specifically discussed are numeration systems, the gestural systems of communication among deaf people, the genesis of writing in children, and inter-ethnic communication.

Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2003
Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2003

Author: Twan Geerts

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2005-01-01

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 9789027247841

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The annual Going Romance conference is the major European discussion forum for theoretically relevant research on Romance languages where current ideas about language in general and about Romance languages in particular are tested. Starting with the thirteenth conference held in 1999, volumes with selected papers of the conferences are published under the title Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory, This is the fifth such volume, containing a selection of papers that have been presented at the seventeenth Going Romance conference, held at the Radboud University Nijmegen (The Netherlands) from 20–22 November 2003. The three-day program included a workshop on 'Diachronic Phonology'. The present volume contains a broad range of articles dealing not only with syntax and phonology, but also with morphology, semantics and acquisition of the Romance languages.

The Language of Hunter-Gatherers
The Language of Hunter-Gatherers

Author: Tom Güldemann

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-02-27

Total Pages: 747

ISBN-13: 1107003687

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Offers a linguistic window into contemporary hunter-gatherer societies, looking at how they survive and interface with agricultural and industrial societies.

Evidence and Counter-Evidence: Essays in Honour of Frederik Kortlandt, Volume 2
Evidence and Counter-Evidence: Essays in Honour of Frederik Kortlandt, Volume 2

Author:

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2008-01-01

Total Pages: 436

ISBN-13: 9401206368

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Preliminary Material -- PREFACE -- LIST OF PUBLICATIONS BY FREDERIK KORTLANDT -- TOWARDS A TYPOLOGICAL PROFILE OF THE ANDEAN LANGUAGES /Willem Adelaar -- THE ORIGIN OF ALTERNATIONS IN INITIAL PITCH IN THE VERBAL PARADIGMS OF THE CENTRAL JAPANESE (KYÔTO TYPE) ACCENT SYSTEMS /Elisabeth de Boer -- ARMENIANS AND THEIR DIALECTS IN ABKHAZIA /V.A. Chirikba -- ON THE POSITION OF BÁIMĂ WITHIN TIBETAN: A LOOK FROM BASIC VOCABULARY /Katia Chirkova -- LIVING (HAPPILY) WITH CONTRADICTION /Karen Steffen Chung -- THE LANGUAGE ORGANISM: PARASITE OR MUTUALIST? /George van Driem -- MONGOLIAN /-GAR/ AND JAPANESE /-GAR-/ /Roger Finch -- YENISEIC LANGUAGES AND THE SIBERIAN LINGUISTIC AREA /Stefan Georg -- HOW TO ORIENT ONESELF ON SAKHALIN: A GUIDE TO NIVKH LOCATIONAL TERMS /Ekaterina Gruzdeva -- KNOWLEDGE GRAPH ANALYSIS OF PARTICLES IN JAPANESE /C. Hoede -- FACTS AND FANTASY ABOUT FAVORLANG: EARLY EUROPEAN ENCOUNTERS WITH TAIWAN'S LANGUAGES /Henning Klöter -- THREE IRREGULAR BERBER VERBS: 'EAT', 'DRINK', 'BE COOKED, RIPEN' /Maarten Kossmann -- TEACHING PERSONAL REFERENCE IN JAPANESE /Riikka Länsisalmi -- DUAL NOMINALISATION IN YUKAGHIR: STRUCTURAL AMBIGUITY AS SEMANTIC DUALITY /Elena Maslova -- THE ALTAIC AORIST IN *-RA IN OLD KOREAN /Roy Andrew Miller -- AVOIDING ABBA: OLD CHINESE SYLLABIC HARMONY /Marc Hideo Miyake -- VOICE IN TUNEN: THE SO-CALLED PASSIVE PREFIX BÉ /Maarten Mous -- CHUVAN AND OMOK LANGUAGES? /Irina Nikolaeva -- IF JAPANESE IS ALTAIC, HOW CAN IT BE SO SIMPLE? /Martine Robbeets -- BURYAT EVALUATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS /Elena Skribnik -- THREE TASHELHIYT BERBER TEXTS FROM THE ARSÈNE ROUX ARCHIVES /Harry Stroomer -- SYNTAX, RECURSION, PRODUCTIVITY - A USAGE-BASED PERSPECTIVE ON THE EVOLUTION OF GRAMMAR /Arie Verhagen -- LANGUAGE, BRAINS AND THE SYNTACTIC REVOLUTION /Jeroen Wiedenhof.

Evidence and Counter-evidence
Evidence and Counter-evidence

Author: Alexander Lubotsky

Publisher: Rodopi

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13: 9042024712

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Annotation. ContentsThe Editors: Preface List of Publications by Frederik Kortlandt Willem ADELAAR: Towards a Typological Profile of the Andean Languages Elisabeth DE BOER: The Origin of Alternations in Initial Pitch in ihe Verbal Paradigms of the Central Japanese (Kyôto Type) Accent SystemsV. A. CHIRIKBA: Armenians and their Dialects in AbkhaziaKatia CHIRKOVA: On the Position of Báimã within Tibetan: A Look from Basic VocabularyKaren STEFFEN CHUNG: Living (Happily) with Contradiction George van DRIEM: The Language Organism: Parasite or Mutualist?Roger FINCH: Mongolian /-gar/ and Japanese /-gar-/Stefan GEORG: Yeniseic Languages and the Siberian Linguistic AreaEkaterina GRUZDEVA: How to Orient Oneself on Sakhalin: A Guide to Nivkh Locational TermsC. HOEDE: Knowledge Graph Analysis of Particles in JapaneseHenning KLÖTER: Facts and Fantasy about Favorlang: Early European Encounters with Taiwan¿s LanguagesMaarten KOSSMANN: Three Irregular Berber Verbs: Èat¿, D̀rink¿, B̀e Cooked, Ripen¿Riikka LÄNSISALMI: Teaching Personal Reference in JapaneseElena MASLOVA: Dual Nominalisation in Yukaghir: Structural Ambiguity as Semantic DualityRoy Andrew MILLER: The Altaic Aorist in *-Ra in Old KoreanMarc Hideo MIYAKE: Avoiding Abba: Old Chinese Syllabic HarmonyMaarten MOUS: Voice in Tunen: The So-Called Passive Prefix Bé-Irina NIKOLAEVA: Chuvan and Omok Languages?Martine ROBBEETS: If Japanese is Altaic, How can it be so Simple?Elena SKRIBNIK: Buryat Evaluative ConstructionsHarry STROOMER: Three Tashelhiyt Berber Texts from the Arsène Roux ArchivesArie VERHAGEN: Syntax, Recursion, Productivity ¿ A Usage-Based Perspective on the Evolution of GrammarJeroen WIEDENHOF: Language, Brains and the Syntactic Revolution.