Lexical semantics in language shift

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-135
Author(s):  
Maïa Ponsonnet
Keyword(s):  
Language Shift ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Exact Nature ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Australian Aboriginal ◽  
Semantic Domain ◽  
Emotion Lexicon ◽  
Creole Languages ◽  
Aboriginal Languages

Abstract This article analyzes some of the lexical semantic features of Barunga Kriol, an Australian creole language (Northern Territory, Australia), in comparison with Dalabon, one of the Australian Aboriginal languages replaced by Barunga Kriol. Focusing on the semantic domain of emotions, this study offers insights into how creole languages select and organize semantic meanings, and to what extent this results in lexical loss or retention. I spell out the exact nature of the lexical resemblances between the two languages, and highlight major differences as well. The conclusions of the study are two-fold. Firstly, I show that the Barunga Kriol emotion lexicon shares a great many properties with the Dalabon emotion lexicon. As a result, speakers in Barunga Kriol and Dalabon respectively are often able to package meaning in very similar ways: the two languages offer comparable means of describing events in the world. From that point of view, language shift can be considered to have a lesser impact. Secondly, I show that the lexical resemblances between Barunga Kriol and Dalabon are not limited to simple cases where the lexemes in each language share the same forms and/or meanings. Instead, lexical resemblances relate to a number of other properties in semantics and combinatorics, and I devise a preliminary typology of these lexical resemblances. Beyond the comparison between Barunga Kriol and Dalabon, this typology may tentatively serve as a grid to evaluate lexical resemblances between languages more generally.

Wholesale data for surveillance of Australian Aboriginal tobacco consumption in the Northern Territory

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 291-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. P. Thomas ◽  
J. W. Fitz ◽  
V. Johnston ◽  
J. Townsend ◽  
W. Kneebone
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Consumption ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Australian Aboriginal

scholarly journals The Polysemy of “chɔ̂ɔp” in Thai: A Pragmatically Motivated Phenomenon

MANUSYA ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 75-82
Author(s):  
Kandaporn Jaroenkitboworn
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
Semantic Feature ◽  
Transitional Period ◽  
Word Class ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Social Standing ◽  
Part Of Speech ◽  
Characteristic Behavior ◽  
Actual Use ◽  
Pragmatic Motivation

This paper analyzes the word chɔ̂ɔp in Thai, which normally signifies three different meanings, namely ‘to be right’, ‘to like’ and ‘often’. The result of the analysis shows that it is more likely that the polysemy of chɔ̂ɔp arises from pragmatic motivation. Pragmatic motivation, which covers factors such as speakers’ attitude, intention, point of view, behavior and social standing, can affect actual use of language. Pragmatically, the word chɔ̂ɔp that means ‘to be right’ can easily lead to an action of agreement. In other words, when we regard something right; we tend to agree on it without argument. This attitude is related to another meaning of chɔ̂ɔp in the way that the degree of agreeability is strengthened into the meaning ‘to like’, or even ‘to love’ and ‘to enjoy’ sometimes. Also, when we like something, or even love and enjoy some activity, this kind of feeling can motivate us to do it again and again and thus we come to have a characteristic behavior. This typical behavior can consequently cause semantic features like [habitual] and [iterative] to occur. With the semantic feature [iterative], the word chɔ̂ɔp then has yet another meaning as ‘often’. This paper also discusses the grammaticalization of the word chɔ̂ɔp from a verb which means ‘to like’ into an adverb of frequency that means ‘often’ i.e. there is a change of word class or part of speech. It was found that there are many cases of chɔ̂ɔp that appear syntactically and semantically ambiguous, or, in other words they are in a transitional period of word class change. This paper indicates that such an ambiguity or incipient grammaticalization is motivated by the speaker’s attitude and point of view.

scholarly journals Becoming Monolingual: The Impact of Language Ideologies on the Loss of Multilingualism on São Tomé Island

Languages ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bouchard
Keyword(s):  
Social Practice ◽  
Language Ideologies ◽  
Language Shift ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
National Unity ◽  
Ethnographic Fieldwork ◽  
Sao Tome And Principe ◽  
Societal Level ◽  
Creole Languages ◽  
The Impact

This article discusses the loss of the creole languages on São Tomé Island and the societal move from multilingualism to monolingualism in Portuguese. It argues that recognizing the ideologies attached to these languages is key in understanding the language shift, but also the processes leading toward monolingualism. This qualitative study is based on three main theories: Language as social practice, language ideology, and monoglot standardization. Data comes from ethnographic fieldwork and sociolinguistic interviews with 56 speakers from the capital of São Tomé and Príncipe. I argue that the existence of multilingualism on São Tomé Island is not valued at a societal level because of the pejorative ideologies that have been held about the creole languages since colonial times. Also, the use of the creole languages stood as a problem for the creation of a unified Santomean nation, as the different racial groups on the islands had their own creole. Results show how ideologies about the Portuguese language and its association with national unity, modernity, and European-ness favored its expansion on São Tomé Island and a move toward monolingualism.

Un análisis cognitivo-funcional de la concordancia verbal con construcciones (pseudo)partitivas del tipo [N1 + de + N2]

Revue Romane ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrien Verveckken ◽  
Bert Cornillie
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Side Effect ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Corpus Analysis ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Alternative Account ◽  
Indefinite Article ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Verbal Agreement ◽  
Linguistic Account

In this paper we present a corpus-based, cognitive-linguistic account of the singular/plural agreement alternation with binominal constructions belonging to the [N1singular + de + N2plural]-type. From a syntagmatic point of view, plural agreement reflects a shift from N1 as the head of the Noun Phrase towards N1 being a quantifier to N2. This view is in line with grammaticalization theory and holds for many examples, yet there are important counterexamples where we find a singular verb despite N1 being used as a quantifier. The Hispanic linguistic literature mentions several factors that would favor plural agreement with N2 such as an indefinite article, the distance between the verb and the subject, the position of the subject and pseudopartitive rather than partitive use. The corpus analysis will show that these factors are not conclusive. Our alternative account has recourse to the concept of lexical persistence and shows to what extent the quantifier use of N1 retains semantic features associated with the head use of N1. We argue that verbal agreement phenomena can be motivated by the interaction between lexical persistence and the morpho-syntactic and semantic criteria listed in literature. Lexical persistence is thus not a side effect of the grammaticalization process, but a crucial dimension of binominal constructions in that it allows us to explain quantifier uses of N1 with a singular verb.

scholarly journals On the inter-crystalline fracture of metals under prolonged application of stress (Preliminary paper)

1919 ◽  
Vol 96 (674) ◽  
pp. 55-68 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Practical Importance ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Exact Nature ◽  
Satisfactory Explanation ◽  
Fundamental Interest ◽  
Crystalline Fracture ◽  
Satisfactory Account ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Cartridge Cases ◽  
Type Of Failure

The authors have recently made a series of observations on some cases of inter-crystalline fracture in various metals, occurring as the result of the prolonged application of stress. In explanation of these phenomena they have formulated an hypothesis which appears to afford a satisfactory account of the present observations and to correlate them with other well-known phenomena whose exact nature has, however, hitherto remained obscure. In putting their observations and hypothesis on record at the present stage, the authors are well aware that much fuller experimental investigation of the whole subject is required, and they hope to carry this forward. The evidence now available, however, appears to them to justify preliminary publication, especially in view of the fundamental interest and great practical importance of the subject. The present paper relates to a group of phenomena some of which have long been known, in the case of brass, as “season cracking.” Brass articles which have been manufactured by a process of alternate cold-working and annealing—such, for instance, as cartridge-cases and other articles made by operations of cupping and drawing—sometimes exhibit a tendency, after a period which may vary from a few hours to several years, to undergo spontaneous cracking. The occurrence of this type of failure of brass has been a serious manufacturing difficulty and much study has been given to the subject; as a result, modifications of both the annealing and the drawing processes have been made, which, to a considerable extent, eliminate the trouble. A satisfactory explanation of “season cracking” has not, however, been put forward so far as the authors are aware. From the present point of view, perhaps the most interesting fact which has been observed about "season cracking” in brass is that the fracture—in those cases where its path can be traced clearly among the micro-constituents of the metal—markedly follows the inter-crystalline boundaries. An example of such a crack is illustrated, under a magnification of 100 diameters, in fig. 1, where the inter-crystalline character of the fracture can be clearly traced (Plate 1).

Evaluation of Australian Bilingual Education: Some initial ideas directed at obtaining a just and thorough approach

1979 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 33-44
Author(s):  
M. Christie
Keyword(s):  
Bilingual Education ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Primary Education ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Aboriginal Communities ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
The Government ◽  
Aboriginal Children ◽  
Aboriginal Languages

In the 1973 parliamentary session, the Australian Federal Government introduced acampaign to have Aboriginal children living in distinctive Aboriginal communities given their primary education in Aboriginal languages…and to supplement education for Aboriginal children with the teaching of traditional Aboriginal arts, crafts and skills mostly by Aboriginals themselves.Following that announcement, a committee was formed to investigate the possibilities of bilingual education and to direct the setting up of some initial programs. Five schools originally changed to a bilingual education program, and the number has grown to almost twenty. The original schools have now been in operation for five years, and there is a call for their evaluation. The government has expended large sums of money on the development of the programs, but there is still discussion concerning their possible future. Some of the key issues concerning bilingual education in the Northern Territory have not been resolved, and much of the development of programs was taken over by people of initiative in individual schools. This may or may not have been a good thing, but for the purposes of evaluation, we are presented with a very complex and freely structured situation. A just and constructive evaluation of all that has happened thus far will be difficult but invaluable for the government, the administrators, and the teachers.

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