Historical Linguistics and Endangered Languages: Exploring Diversity in Language Change

✍ Scribed by Patience Epps (editor), Danny Law (editor), Na'ama Pat-El (editor)

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 307
• Series: Routledge Studies in Historical Linguistics
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This collection showcases the contributions of the study of endangered and understudied languages to historical linguistic analysis, and the broader relevance of diachronic approaches toward developing better informed approaches to language documentation and description.

The volume brings together perspectives from both established and up-and-coming scholars and represents a globally and linguistically diverse range of languages.The collected papers demonstrate the ways in which endangered languages can challenge existing models of language change based on more commonly studied languages, and can generate innovative insights into linguistic phenomena such as pathways of grammaticalization, forms and dynamics of contact-driven change, and the diachronic relationship between lexical and grammatical categories. In so doing, the book highlights the idea that processes and outcomes of language change long held to be universally relevant may be more sensitive to cultural and typological variability than previously assumed.

Taken as a whole, this collection brings together perspectives from language documentation and historical linguistics to point the way forward for richer understandings of both language change and documentary-descriptive approaches, making this key reading for scholars in these fields.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Half Title
Series Information
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Contributors
1 Introduction: Historical Linguistics and Endangered Languages
Note
References
Part I Synchrony and Diachrony in Phonological Systems
2 Why Is Tone Change Still Poorly Understood, and How Might Documentation of Less-Studied Tone Languages Help?
1. Introduction
2. Challenges in Tone Analysis
2.1. A Typological Framework for Describing Tone?
2.2. Other Frameworks for Understanding Tone
2.3. Distance Between Phonological Tones and Phonetic Realizations
3. Tonal Reconstruction
3.1. Do Tones Change Faster Than Segments?
3.2. Phonetic Divergence
3.3. Irregular Correspondences
4. A Case Study From the Chatino (Otomanguean) Languages of Mexico
4.1. Chatino Languages
4.2. Segmental Changes
4.3. Basic Tonal Correspondences, Reconstructions, and Changes
4.4. Many Minor and Irregular Tone Correspondences
4.5. Grammatical Tone As a Source of Lexical Tone Change?
5. Discussion and Conclusions
Notes
References
3 Phonological Enrichment in Neo-Aramaic Dialects Through Language Contact
1. The Neo-Aramaic Dialects
2. Convergence of Sound Systems
2.1. Phonemicization of Phonetic De-Aspiration After Fricatives
2.2. Phonemic Merger of a Stop and a Laryngeal Stop
2.3. Reanalysis of Pharyngealized Segments
3. Functional Application
3.1. Loss of Complexity in Linguistic Systems
3.2. Marking of Word Boundaries
3.3. Sound Symbolism
4. Concluding Remarks
Notes
References
4 Vowel Quality As a History Maker: Stress, Metaphony and the Renewal of Proto-Semitic Morphology in Modern ...
1. Introduction
2. The MSA Languages in Their Semitic Setting
2.1. Phylogenetic Classification
2.2. Background: Semitic Languages
2.2.1. Proto-Semitic Phonology
2.2.2. Patterns and Roots
2.2.3. The ‘Stems’
2.2.4. The ‘Thematic Vowel’
2.3. Specifics of MSA
2.3.1. Matching Vocalic Colors
2.3.2. Pattern Allomorphy
3. Proto-MSA Stress
3.1. Quality-sensitive Stress
3.2. The Effect of Gutturals
3.3. Stress and the ‘©©-Effect’
3.3.1. The ‘©©-Effect’ in Mehri and Jibbali
3.3.2. The Stable Vowel of Soqotri and Proto-MSA Stress
3.4. Morphologization of Stress Alternations
3.4.1. Morphosyntactic Oppositions
3.4.2. Pattern Allomorphy
4. Main Trends of MSA Vocalism
4.1. Final Vowels
4.2. Unstressed Vocalism (cf. Appendix, Parts 1 and 3)
4.3. Stressed Vocalism (cf. Appendix, Part 2)
5. Metaphony Processes
5.1. Regressive Metaphony of the Thematic Vowel Under the Effect of a Proto-Semitic Suffixal Vowel
5.1.1. Thematic Vowel a
5.1.2. Thematic Vowel i or u
5.2. Regressive Metaphony of V₁ Under the Effect of the Thematic Vowel
5.3. Progressive Metaphony of a Suffixal Vowel Under the Effect of the Thematic Vowel
5.3.1. The Dual Suffix -Δ in the Prefix Conjugations
5.3.2. The Case of Omani Mehri T2 Subj.3md yəftkəréh
5.3.3. The Case of the Passive Dual of the Basic Stems
5.3.4. Conclusion On the Dual Suffix in the Prefix Conjugations
5.3.5. The Dual Suffix and the 3fs Suffix in the Suffix Conjugation
6. Concluding Remarks
6.1. The Plausibility of a Quality-Sensitive Quality-Sensitive-Stress-System
6.2. Is Vocalic Quality the Input Or the Output?
6.3. The MSA Stress System
6.4. Perspectives for Further Research
Appendix: A Tentative Reconstruction of Some Proto-MSA Vocalic Phonemes
Notes
References
Part II Synchrony and Diachrony in Morphology and Syntax
5 Patterns of Retention and Innovation in Ket Verb Morphology
1. Introduction
2. Language Endangerment Across Northern Asia
3. Language Contact and the Rise of Ditropic Clitics in Ket
4. Metathesis and Reanalysis
5. Multiple Exponence
6. Summary
References
6 Stability in Grammatical Morphology: An Amazonian Case-Study
1. Introduction
2. Cognacy and Variability in Naduhupan
3. Hup and Dâw: The Machinery of Grammaticalization
3.1. Return/Repeat
3.2. Be Finished/Quantifier
3.3. Send/Causative/Punctual
3.4. Pass/Quickly/Elative/Durative
3.5. Straight/Direct/Immediate Perfective
4. Conclusion
Notes
References
Part III Dynamics of Diversity and Contact
7 The Comparative Method and Language Change in Accretion Zones: A View From the Nuba Mountains
1. A Bird’s-Eye View of Genetic Diversity On the African Continent
2. Historical-comparative Studies and Documentary Work On Languages of the Nuba Mountains, Sudan
3. Typological Disparity
4. Language Ecology and the Role Played By Technological Innovations and Climate Change
4.1. The Pastoral and Agricultural Roots of Nuba Mountain Communities
4.2. Migrations Into the Nuba Mountains and Climate Change
5. Ethnic Fission and Fusion, and the Creation of Patchwork Languages
6. Some Conclusions and Remaining Puzzles
Note
References
8 Inside Contact-Stimulated Grammatical Development
1 “Switch-Reference”
2. The Pomoan Family
2.1. The System
2.2. Origins
2.3. Later Development
3. Wappo
4. Lake Miwok
5. Yuki
6. Conclusion
References
Part IV Classification and Prehistory
9 A Reconstruction of Proto-Northern Adelbert Phonology and Lexicon
1. Introduction
1.1. A Note On Language Names
1.2. Previous Classifications of Madang Languages
2. Classification of Northern Adelbert Languages Using the Comparative Method
3. Northern Adelbert Sound Correspondences
3.1. Vowels
3.1.1. PNA i
3.1.2. PNA u
3.1.3. PNA a
3.1.4. PNA e
3.1.5. Did PNA Have o?
3.1.6. PNA ua
3.2. Oral Stops
3.3. Nasals
3.4. Fricative f
3.5. Liquids r and l
3.6. Glides w and *y
4. Phonological Innovations
4.1. Kumil-Tibor
4.1.1. Kumil
4.1.2. Tibor
4.2. Manep-Barem
4.3. Kaukombar
4.4. Numugen
4.5. Amako-Waskia
5. Conclusion
Appendix: Reconstructed PNA Vocabulary
Notes
References
10 Reconstructing the Linguistic Prehistory of the Western Himalayas: Endangered Minority Languages as a Window to the Past
1. Introduction
1.1. Background
1.2. Defining WH as a Subgroup
2. Classifying WH
2.1. Lexical Evidence
2.2. Phonological Evidence
2.3. Morphosyntactic Evidence
3. Reconsidering the Lexical Evidence
4. Implications of the Historical-Comparative Study
4.1. EWH Borrowings in WWH Languages of Upper Kinnaur
4.2. The Widespread Geographic Distribution of the Central Subgroup
4.3. Connecting the Dots
5. Evidence for a Former WH Presence on the Tibetan Plateau
5.1. Evidence From History and Philology
5.2. Evidence From Borrowings in Western Tibetan Varieties
5.3. Evidence From Toponyms
5.4. Evidence From Inscriptions
6. Evidence for a Former WH Presence in the Himalayan Foothills
6.1. Evidence From Geographic Considerations
6.2. Evidence From Anthropological Considerations
7. A Tentative Reconstruction of the Linguistic Prehistory of the Western Himalayas
8. Conclusions
Appendix A: Survey Map of the North Indian Himalayas
Appendix B: Comparative Word List
Notes
References
Index