Proceedings Published by the LSA (Linguistic Society of America)
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Kazakh comitative and conjunction constructions
Get PDFIn this paper, we present data collected in original fieldwork on the Kazakh comitative and conjunction particle men. We provide preliminary evidence in support of an ambiguity analysis of the comitative men construction and the conjunction men construction. We also discuss the shared togetherness flavor in these constructions
Comparing reflexive and personal pronouns in Chinese locative prepositional phrases
Get PDFIn many languages, both reflexive and personal pronouns within locative prepositional phrases (LPPs) can be co-construed with a local subject, making LPPs an ideal testing ground for non-syntactic factors influencing pronoun use. Focusing on Chinese, we experimentally tested the extent to which acceptability of reflexives ziji and ta-ziji and personal pronoun ta depends on event type (motion/perception) and relation type (contact/non-contact). We find that effects follow the trend previously reported for English but affect different forms to different degrees. Along with advancing understanding of binding in LPPs, this work contributes to comparisons between ziji and ta-ziji and the typology of pronouns more broadly.
Theme maximalization through modifiers: A case of Mandarin verbal classifier bian
Get PDFMaximalization strategies and their syntactic representations are at the centre of a long debate (Filip & Rothstein 2005; Filip 2008; Martínez Vera 2021; a.o.). Semantically, events can be maximalized with respect to theme, path, degree, etc., and thus maximalization features several types. Syntactically, maximalization has been argued to be exerted by a verb or an argument of the verb. This research offers a novel observation that elements in a modifier position can also introduce maximalization. In particular, I propose that Mandarin verbal classifier bian is a theme-maximalizing element situated in an adjunct of VP. I further provide a compositional analysis within the framework of neo-Davidsonian event semantics. In the end, I compare bian with another theme-maximaling element diao and identify two distinct levels of theme maximalization
Kincretism in crosslinguistic perspective
Get PDFTraditional anthropology in the vein of Morgan (1871) distinguishes between descriptive and classificatory kinship terms. Mainstream US English father functions as a descriptive term, as it conventionally only indicates one relationship type: `\u27ego\u27s begetter\u27. In contrast, Aboriginal English father functions as a classificatory term, as it conventionally indicates both \u27ego\u27s begetter\u27 and `\u27ego\u27s begetter\u27s brother\u27. We propose that it is possible to study classificatory kinship in the same manner that we study morphological syncretism in nominal and verbal paradigms. We propose toy features for kinship and demonstrate that Murdock\u27s (1949) classical hexapartite typology of kinship patterns is best thought of as a set of metasyncretisms (Harley 2008) generated by impoverishment. In theoretical terms, we contribute to the broader research program of Crossmodular Structural Parallelism (Nevins 2008), in that we argue that kintactic features may interact and be modified in ways homologous to phonological and morphological features. In empirical terms, we provide a genealogically diverse sample of underdescribed language-specific kincretisms outside of the broader Murdockian typology, with an emphasis on kincretisms that involve affinal terms
Regional differences (or lack thereof) in rendaku in Japanese surnames
Get PDFNo study has thoroughly investigated the regional differences of Japanese compound voicing known as rendaku. The present study addresses this issue by conducting a large-scale web-based survey with 492 Japanese speakers as participants and 1,776 compound surnames as stimuli. The results show no clear effects of dialects on rendaku application. This raises a novel theoretical issue for further investigation: Even though pitch accent has been argued to be inversely associated with rendaku (e.g., Sugito 1965; Zamma & Asai 2017), dialects with a variety of accentuation patterns nonetheless exhibit very similar voicing patterns in compound surnames. A tentative account based on foot structure is proposed
The history of the Summer Institute of Linguistics at the University of Oklahoma
Get PDFI provide an account of the Summer Institute of Linguistics’s (SIL) relationship with the University of Oklahoma (OU) from 1942–1987. SIL ended its linguistics summer sessions at OU in 1987 when legal issues were brought up about a public institution supporting an organization with openly evangelical roots. I conclude by revisiting questions raised in Dobrin’s (2009) collection on the relationship between SIL and secular linguistics
Phonological learning is asymmetrical between prefixes and suffixes
Get PDFPhonological theories typically treat prefixes and suffixes as if phonological processes apply uniformly to both. However, previous studies have found clear asymmetries between the behavior of both affixes. We argue that this is due to phonological processes being easier to learn in suffix position rather than prefix position. To test this, an artificial language learning task was used to evaluate whether phonological learning is symmetrical between affixes. Results pattern in the direction of the hypothesis, namely, that phonological learning is asymmetrically facilitated in suffix position over prefix position, providing support to general cognitive mechanisms being responsible for strong cross-linguistic tendencies
Who do we have to convince of the purpose and utility of history of linguistics courses in the curriculum?
Get PDFThis short commentary proposes that there is a need for convincing our colleagues in linguistics departments to include history of linguistics classes in our programmes. Once they are there, it is suggested that we also consider tailoring these classes to modern populations of students.
Note: A video of the session in which this was presented and the associated slide deck are available in the foreword to this issue.
Where do Central Cushitic ejectives come from?
Get PDFThis paper examines and accounts for the origin and presence of ejectives in Central Cushitic (CC) languages. Appleyard (2006) claimed that most occurrences of ejectives are due to borrowing from the Ethiosemitic languages. This is certainly true for all ejectives in Kemantney, and some in Blin and Xamtanga. However, examination of Appleyard’s data shows that only 37% of ejectives in Blin and 25% of ejectives in Xamtanga are found in borrowings. Most ejectives in CC in these two languages are therefore “of indubitable Agaw origin”, which suggests that ejectives are from the proto-language rather than through sound change. This paper analyzes the distribution of ejectives in Appleyard’s data and re-examines the consequences for reconstructed forms and probable sound changes
How revolution and gender dynamics affected Nepali 3rd-person honorification from the 1990s to the 2010s: A corpus analysis
Get PDFOne way to express honorification, by which speakers index relations of respect, is through varying pronouns and verb inflection. This phenomenon has been studied in European languages with binary 2nd-person pronouns (the T-V model). Past research finds that these systems tend to level with social change. This study explores Nepali, which also uses pronouns and verb-inflections. Nepali has 2nd and 3rd-person honorification, with 4 and 3 different levels respectively. The study employs a corpus analysis to investigate Nepali 3rd-person honorification with regards to the fall of monarchy (1996–2010). The paper finds that this social change correlates to 3rd-person honor leveling