Languages

Research

9 pages, 356 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Overlooked Diversity of Clause Structures and Argument Structures in Non-Indo-European Languages

by Randy J. LaPolla

Languages 2024, 9(4), 135; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9040135 - 8 Apr 2024

Viewed by 1184

This article responds to a conference call for papers that makes universalist assumptions about clause structures, assuming all languages in the world basically follow the same organizing principles in terms of clause structure, argument structure, and alignment. The article presents data from Tagalog [...] Read more.

This article responds to a conference call for papers that makes universalist assumptions about clause structures, assuming all languages in the world basically follow the same organizing principles in terms of clause structure, argument structure, and alignment. The article presents data from Tagalog to show how different a language can be from the assumed universal organizing principles to make the point that by imposing an Indo-European framework on non-Indo-European languages, we are overlooking the true diversity of language forms found in the world’s languages. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Directions for Sino-Tibetan Linguistics in the Mid-21st Century)

15 pages, 2079 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phonetic Tonal Manifestations and Trends in Tone Change: A Case Study of the Yong-Deng Dialect in Northwest China

by Li Yi

Languages 2023, 8(4), 262; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8040262 - 8 Nov 2023

Viewed by 1722

Abstract

This study takes the Yong-deng dialect as a case study to investigate the phenomenon of tonal merging observed in Northwest Chinese dialects. It begins by examining the various monosyllabic tone patterns of the Yong-deng dialect, then supplements this with a review of the [...] Read more.

This study takes the Yong-deng dialect as a case study to investigate the phenomenon of tonal merging observed in Northwest Chinese dialects. It begins by examining the various monosyllabic tone patterns of the Yong-deng dialect, then supplements this with a review of the relevant literature, comparisons with the tone patterns of the neighbouring dialects, and an analysis of its tone sandhi in disyllabic and trisyllabic combinations. Each step of the dialect’s tonal variation is scrutinised, allowing for the identification of pertinent phonetic biases and the derivation of associated phonological rules. The central argument advanced here is that both synchronic tonal variation and diachronic tone change are governed by specific phonological rules. Despite the ostensibly variable phonetic manifestations, these rules can enable the prediction of the trajectory of tone change. The paper contributes to the understanding of tone merger and highlights its systemic and rule-bound nature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Directions for Sino-Tibetan Linguistics in the Mid-21st Century)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 927 KiB

Open AccessArticle

ɬwa:n⁵ as a Marker of the Degree of Expressiveness in the Kam Language

by Hui He

Languages 2023, 8(4), 261; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8040261 - 8 Nov 2023

Viewed by 2134

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of syntactic collocations that include the constraints on an adjective phrase (AP) and adverbs or final particles (X) in the ɬwa:n⁵ + AP + X construction, as well as its pragmatic features and grammatical functions in the Kam [...] Read more.

This paper presents an analysis of syntactic collocations that include the constraints on an adjective phrase (AP) and adverbs or final particles (X) in the ɬwa:n⁵ + AP + X construction, as well as its pragmatic features and grammatical functions in the Kam language. ɬwa:n⁵ functions as an exclamative marker (EM) that conveys the expressive meaning of the speaker’s attitude. The primary lexical meaning of ɬwa:n⁵ is ‘to calculate’ or ‘to regard as’, and the word is borrowed from Chinese (算 suàn, ‘to count’, ‘to calculate’, ‘to regard as’). The role of ɬwa:n⁵ in the construction ɬwa:n⁵ + AP + X will mainly be discussed in this paper. In addition, the adjectives that can collocate with ɬwa:n⁵ are subject to a gradeability restriction, that is, only gradable adjectives can collocate with ɬwa:n⁵. In general, the ɬwa:n⁵ construction is used to express that the speaker expected an existing situation with a gradable property; in reality, the degree follows a particular scalar and surpasses the expectation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Directions for Sino-Tibetan Linguistics in the Mid-21st Century)

12 pages, 384 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ancient Connections of Sinitic

by David Bradley

Languages 2023, 8(3), 176; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8030176 - 24 Jul 2023

Viewed by 2916

Abstract

Six main alternative linkage proposals which involve the Sino-Tibetan family, including Sinitic and other language families of the East Asian area (Miao-Yao, Altaic/Transeurasian, Austroasiatic, Tai-Kadai, Austronesian) are briefly outlined. Using the standard techniques of comparative linguistics, a remote linkage between the Sino-Tibetan languages, [...] Read more.

Six main alternative linkage proposals which involve the Sino-Tibetan family, including Sinitic and other language families of the East Asian area (Miao-Yao, Altaic/Transeurasian, Austroasiatic, Tai-Kadai, Austronesian) are briefly outlined. Using the standard techniques of comparative linguistics, a remote linkage between the Sino-Tibetan languages, including Sinitic, the Yeniseian languages of Siberia, and the Na-Dene languages of northwest North America is demonstrated. This includes cognate core lexicon showing regular sound correspondences, morphological similarities of form and function, as well as similarities in social structure. The other proposals for linkages that connect Sinitic and other languages of the East Asian area appear not to be based on a genetic linguistic relationship but rather due to contact: millennia of loanwords from Sinitic into the languages of those families and some lexicon borrowed into Sinitic. More remains to be done to further document the status of the linkage between Sino-Tibetan and Dene-Yeniseian. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Directions for Sino-Tibetan Linguistics in the Mid-21st Century)

32 pages, 9332 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phonology of Adur Niesu in Liangshan, Sichuan

by Hongdi Ding

Languages 2023, 8(3), 164; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8030164 - 30 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1640

Abstract

This study describes the segmental and suprasegmental phonology of Adur Niesu, a Loloish (or Ngwi) language spoken mainly in Liangshan, Sichuan, southwest China. Phonemically, there are 41 consonants, 10 monophthongs and 1 diphthong in Adur Niesu. All Adur syllables are open. Its segmental [...] Read more.

This study describes the segmental and suprasegmental phonology of Adur Niesu, a Loloish (or Ngwi) language spoken mainly in Liangshan, Sichuan, southwest China. Phonemically, there are 41 consonants, 10 monophthongs and 1 diphthong in Adur Niesu. All Adur syllables are open. Its segmental changes mainly happen to the vowels, featuring high vowel fricativization, vowel lowering, vowel centralization, vowel assimilation and vowel fusion. It is common for Adur Niesu syllables to be reduced in continuous speech, with floating tones left. There are three main types of syllable reduction: complete reduction including the segment and tone, partial reduction with a floating tone left, and partial reduction with the initial consonant left. Adur Niesu employs tones as an important means for lexical contrast, namely, high-level tone 55, mid-level tone 33, and low-falling tone 21. There is also a sandhi tone 44. There are two types of tonal alternation: tone sandhi and tone change. Tone sandhi occurs at both word and phrasal levels, and is conditioned by the phonetic environment, while tone change occurs due to the morphosyntactic environment. Finally, some seeming tonal alternation is the result of a floating tone after syllable reduction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Directions for Sino-Tibetan Linguistics in the Mid-21st Century)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 1964 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Four Secular Ruke Dongba Notes Generated during Fieldwork: An Innovative Language Documentation Approach

by Duoduo Xu

Languages 2023, 8(3), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8030162 - 30 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1529

Abstract

This paper documents and analyzes several Dongba script notes collected during my interviews with the Ruke Dongba priests. It provides an overview of Ruke Dongba glyphs in processing daily vocabulary and the International Phonetic Alphabet. It compares these Dongba pictographs with the Geba [...] Read more.

This paper documents and analyzes several Dongba script notes collected during my interviews with the Ruke Dongba priests. It provides an overview of Ruke Dongba glyphs in processing daily vocabulary and the International Phonetic Alphabet. It compares these Dongba pictographs with the Geba script, the syllabic writing system of Naxi people, as well as the various types of scripts used by some other ethnic groups, which show a general tendency of Romanization in the generation of alphabetic writing systems and provides a pattern inherent in the historical evolution of writing. IPA symbols, a fundamental tool of field linguists, facilitate learners in grasping a language and nonalphabetic scripts. In addition to analyzing the Ruke Dongba pictographs attested in the secular manuscripts in the context of history of writing, this study contributes to the linguistic description of Ruke Dongba culture and the diversity of Dongba tradition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Directions for Sino-Tibetan Linguistics in the Mid-21st Century)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 1398 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Retroflex Sound of Languages Spoken in Southeast Tibet: Feature Floating, Feature Recombination and Its Historical Typological Value

by Yunjia Wang, Ziqiu Zhu and Daqin Li

Languages 2023, 8(3), 159; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8030159 - 28 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1343

Abstract

In Southeast Tibet, some Tibeto-Burman languages have apparent retroflex feature floating. Some initial research on this phenomenon shows that different sound categories, such as a post consonant r and retroflex vowels (or finals), are not totally independent. This feature is likely the result [...] Read more.

In Southeast Tibet, some Tibeto-Burman languages have apparent retroflex feature floating. Some initial research on this phenomenon shows that different sound categories, such as a post consonant r and retroflex vowels (or finals), are not totally independent. This feature is likely the result of the evolution of one sound category toward another, and the evolution mechanism is the feature recombination between r and the basic consonant. This research approach can be applied to studying the whole Sino-Tibetan historical typology, including Chinese and Tibeto-Burman languages. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Directions for Sino-Tibetan Linguistics in the Mid-21st Century)

30 pages, 3143 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Phonological Study of Rongpa Choyul

by Jingyao Zheng

Languages 2023, 8(2), 133; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8020133 - 26 May 2023

Viewed by 1729

Abstract

This paper presents a detailed description of the phonology of the Rongpa variety of Choyul, an understudied Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Lithang (理塘) County, Dkarmdzes (甘孜) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, China. Based on firsthand fieldwork data, this paper lays out Rongpa [...] Read more.

This paper presents a detailed description of the phonology of the Rongpa variety of Choyul, an understudied Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Lithang (理塘) County, Dkarmdzes (甘孜) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, China. Based on firsthand fieldwork data, this paper lays out Rongpa phonology with details, examining its syllable canon, initial and rhyme systems, and word prosody. Peculiar characteristics of this phonological system are as follows: First, Rongpa has a substantial phonemic inventory, which comprises 43 consonants, 13 vowels, and 2 tones. 84 consonant clusters are observed to serve as the initial of a syllable. Secondly, the phonemic contrast between plain and uvularized vowels is attested. In addition, regressive vowel harmony on uvularization, height, and lip-roundedness can be clearly observed in various constructions including prefixed verb stems. Finally, regarding word prosody, two tones in monosyllabic words, /H/ and /L/, are observed to distinguish lexical meanings, and disyllabic words exhibit four surface pitch patterns. Pitch patterns in verb morphology are also examined. The findings and analyses as presented in this paper could form a foundation for future research on Rongpa Choyul. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Directions for Sino-Tibetan Linguistics in the Mid-21st Century)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 1796 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Diachronic Investigation on the Lexical Formation and Evolution of the Chinese Adverb “Yijing (已经)”

by Jiangtao Shen and Yu Liu

Languages 2023, 8(2), 132; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8020132 - 23 May 2023

Viewed by 2241

Abstract

This paper describes the lexicalization processes of the expositive adverb yijing in Chinese, taking the view that the lexicalization of yijing has been achieved by both syntactic and semantic–pragmatic contexts. There are two key processes: the grammaticalization of jing is the key factor [...] Read more.

This paper describes the lexicalization processes of the expositive adverb yijing in Chinese, taking the view that the lexicalization of yijing has been achieved by both syntactic and semantic–pragmatic contexts. There are two key processes: the grammaticalization of jing is the key factor for reanalysis of the structure yijing. Originally, jing could only be combined with NP. In the structure “yi + jing + NP experiences”, jing acquired the context in which it was possible to combine with VP. When the VP was an active situation, jing was grammaticalized into a manner adverb, while when VP was a semelfactive situation, jing, the same with yi, became a state adverb for the past tense and perfect aspect. The lexicalization of yijing contains two processes, namely reanalysis and cohesion. In the structure “yi_{[relative time]} + jing +VP”, when there were complex elements, it was reanalyzed as “[yi + jing] + VP”, where yijing functioned as a coordinate structure. If the structure “[yi + jing] + VP” was in a sufficient conditional clause and the VP was an accomplishment situation, “yi + jing” in this context acquired the pragmatic function to confirm that an event has happened, but it was still expressing the tense–aspect meanings of the sentence. In the 7th century, when VP was an achievement situation and had a perfective verb in it, yijing no longer bore the tense–aspect function and was specialized into a confirmative expositive adverb for pragmatic function, and the lexicalization processes finished. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Directions for Sino-Tibetan Linguistics in the Mid-21st Century)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 1344 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reduplication in Kua’nsi

by Huade Huang

Languages 2023, 8(2), 130; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8020130 - 19 May 2023

Viewed by 1781

Abstract

This paper investigates reduplication in Kua’nsi, a Central Ngwi language of the Sino-Tibetan family, spoken in Yunnan Province, China, by around 5000 speakers. Reduplication is a productive morphological device in Kua’nsi and has complex forms and functions. Although Kua’nsi reduplication shows some similarities [...] Read more.

This paper investigates reduplication in Kua’nsi, a Central Ngwi language of the Sino-Tibetan family, spoken in Yunnan Province, China, by around 5000 speakers. Reduplication is a productive morphological device in Kua’nsi and has complex forms and functions. Although Kua’nsi reduplication shows some similarities with reduplication in other Ngwi languages, it also has reduplicative forms and functions that appear to be cross-linguistically rare. Formally, reduplication in Kua’nsi can be full, partial, or discontinuous. Functionally, it can be used with inflectional and derivational meanings as well as without any semantic or syntactic effect in certain constructions. Some functions of Kua’nsi reduplication appear to be not frequently found across languages. The forms and functions of Kua’nsi reduplication are complex and there is not a one-to-one relationship between the form and function of particular patterns of reduplication. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Directions for Sino-Tibetan Linguistics in the Mid-21st Century)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

New Directions for Sino-Tibetan Linguistics in the Mid-21st Century

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Published Papers (10 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI