scholarly journals A Study on a Group of Grammatical Features across Western Yue Dialects: Perspectives from Contact-induced Grammaticalization and Semantic Map Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-213
Author(s):  
Lin Huayong ◽  
Wu Xueyu ◽  
Liu Zhiling
Keyword(s):  
Language Contact ◽  
Guangdong Province ◽  
Semantic Map ◽  
Chinese Dialects ◽  
Grammatical Change ◽  
Linguistic Basis ◽  
Chinese Linguistics

The theory of contact-induced grammaticalization has been proposed to examine language contact and grammatical change, and was introduced into Chinese linguistic circles over 10 years ago. It contributes to a series of developments and breakthroughs in the domain of contact between Chinese and other languages as well as contact among Chinese dialects. Recent approaches to Chinese linguistics combine the theory with Semantic Map Model. In this paper, we focus on the Chinese linguistic studies benefitting from the theory and discuss a group of regional grammatical features which have provided the linguistic basis for cultural regionalization in Guangdong Province.

海南閩語結果結構

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-82
Keyword(s):  
Language Contact ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Syntactic Structure ◽  
Main Mechanism ◽  
Resultative Constructions ◽  
Southern Min ◽  
Archaic Chinese ◽  
Serial Verb Construction ◽  
Serial Verb ◽  
Chinese Dialects

This paper introduces the resultative constructions in Hainan Min which have not been seriously examined in previous studies. The serial verb construction (SVC) is the main mechanism by which resultatives are expressed in Hainan Min. This special syntactic structure is examined in Hainan Min and compared to two other Chinese dialects: Taiwan Southern Min and Cantonese. I speculate that the unusual serial verb construction resultatives are associated with the preservation of a historical form and language contact. Diachronic Chinese data are given to evince that SVCs existed early in archaic Chinese. In addition, it is argued that language contact with the native language (Hlai) also contributes to the preservation of this historic remnant. 本文介紹海南閩語的結果結構。這個語法結構在過去的文獻中並未清楚的描述及討論過。本研究使用的材料大多是作者田野調查後的語料。田調的結果發現，海南閩語的結果結構主要是以連動結構來表現。以連動結構來表達結果，在現代漢語中，是一種很特殊的方式。本文因此比較了相關的漢語方言：台灣閩南語及粵語。同時，還考察了古漢語的歷時語料，發現連動結果句型應是一種存古現象。除了歷史因素外，本文還主張語言接觸也影響了連動結果句型的存古。因此，本文還探討了海南島上的黎語之結果結構。(This article is in English.)

An ablative postposition in the Xining dialect

1999 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Dede
Keyword(s):  
Language Contact ◽  
Demographic Changes ◽  
Linguistic Change ◽  
Curly Tail ◽  
Chinese Dialects ◽  
Neutral Tone ◽  
Morphosyntactic Feature

This article describes a morphosyntactic feature of the Xining dialect that is unique among all Chinese dialects: that is, the use of a postposition to express ablative nominal relationships. The postposition [t[curly-tail lowercase c]ia] is invariably pronounced in the neutral tone and has no cognates in either earlier varieties of Chinese or among present Chinese dialects. The morpheme's origin is shown to have come from a neighboring non-Sinitic language. Moreover, the variations within the syntactic expression of the ablative are correlated with various sociolinguistic groups. These correlations suggest an ongoing change in the dialect's morphosyntactic system of a kind rarely observed among Chinese dialects. Finally, the process of linguistic change is correlated with demographic changes within the Xining region that show Xining is a place where language contact and rapid linguistic change are likely to be found.

scholarly journals Inflectional morphology restructuring in ache - discussing grammatical change and language contact in tupí-guaraní subgroup - 1

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 371-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva-Maria Rößler
Keyword(s):  
Functional Morphology ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Inflectional Morphology ◽  
Number Agreement ◽  
Contact Language ◽  
Grammatical Change ◽  
Person Hierarchy ◽  
Historical Developments ◽  
Genetic Context

This paper deals with mechanisms of grammatical change in Ache, focusing on inflection. Ache contains restricted functional morphology when compared to most Tupí-Guaraní languages. Although erosion of inflection is attested in linear historical developments within this genetic context; the degree of inflectional erosion observed in Ache is exceptional. Ache lacks all TG prefixes, consequently, processes linked to person-number agreement, such as person hierarchy effects, are unattested. Ache enclitics for tense-aspect-mood marking (TAM) appear to be more similar to other TG languages. However, given closer examination, also for TAM considerable restructuring is revealed. Besides describing erosion and retention patterns of inflection, it is exemplified how Ache copes with the overall functional restructuring by generating innovative syntactic patterns and novel lexical items. Inspired by subclasses of inflection given in Roberts and Bresnan (2008), it becomes evident that inherent inflection (i.e. TAM) is far more stable in Ache than so-called contextual inflection (i.e. person, case); a characteristic result of contact induced grammar change. Thus, this study of inflectional restructuring contributes strong evidence for the long-standing hypothesis that Ache is a TG contact language (Dietrich, 1990; Rodrigues, 2000; Rößler, 2008).

scholarly journals Active Syllable Average Limit 1,000 (音涯一千)

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-19
Author(s):  
Jiangping Kong
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Information Entropy ◽  
Dynamic Process ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Semantic Cognition ◽  
Theoretical Significance ◽  
Chinese Dialects ◽  
Tibetan Dialects

Abstract This paper mainly studies phonemic cognitive ability through the databases of living spoken languages in the Sino-Tibetan languages including 20 Chinese dialects, 6 Tibetan dialects, 5 Miao dialects, Mian, Zhuang, Thai, Li, Dai, Yi, Burmese, Zaiwa, and, Achang. The methods of statistics and information entropy and the concepts of the actual syllabic space, the syllabic theoretical space and redundancy rate are used and proposed in this paper. The results show that: (1) statistical methods can be used in the study of phonemic cognition; (2) the actual syllabic space in spoken Sino-Tibetan languages reflects the man’s phonemic cognitive ability; (3) the theoretical syllabic space composed of initial, final, and tone in the Sino-Tibetan languages reflects the dynamic process of a phoneme system in language contact and evolution; (4) a redundancy rate of 60% is the bottom limit in oral communication in the Sino-Tibetan languages. Therefore, the conclusion of this study is that Active Syllable Average Limit 1,000 not only reflects man’s phonemic cognitive ability, but also reflects the interdependence of phonemic cognition and semantic cognition, and reveals an important link in the process of a language chain from semantic to phonemic transformation, which has important theoretical significance in the study of language cognition.

scholarly journals On the linguistic history of Kurdish

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Jügel
Keyword(s):  
Historical Linguistic ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Linguistic History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Grammatical Change ◽  
Modern Varieties

Historical linguistic sources of Kurdish date back just a few hundred years, thus it is not possible to track the profound grammatical changes of Western Iranian languages in Kurdish. Through a comparison with attested languages of the Middle Iranian period, this paper provides a hypothetical chronology of grammatical changes. It allows us to tentatively localise the approximate time when modern varieties separated with regard to the respective grammatical change. In order to represent the types of linguistic relationship involved, distinct models of language contact and language continua are set up. Li ser tarîxa zimannasî ya zimanê kurdîÇavkaniyên tarîxî yên zimanê kurdî bes bi qasî çend sedsalan kevn in, lewma em nikarin di zimanê kurdî de wan guherînên bingehî yên rêzimana zimanên îranî yên rojavayî destnîşan bikin. Ev meqale kronolojiyeke ferazî ya guherînên rêzimanî yên kurdiyê dabîn dike bi rêya muqayesekirina bi wan zimanên xwedan-belge yên serdema îraniya navîn. Bi vî rengî, em dikarin bi awayekî muweqet dem û serdemeke teqrîbî diyar bikin ku tê de ziman û şêwezarên nû ji aliyê guherînên rêzimanî ve jêk cuda bûne. Ji bo berçavkirina awayên têkiliya zimanî di navbera zimanan de, modêlên cihê yên temasa zimanî û dirêjeya zimanî hatine danîn. ١. سەبارەت بە مێژووی زمانناسیی زمانی کوردی سەرچاوە مێژووە زمانناسییەکانی زمانی کوردی تەنیا بۆ چەند سەدە پێش ئێستا دەگەڕێنەوە، بۆیە ناکرێت شوێن پێی گۆڕانکارییە پڕمانا ڕێزمانییەکانی زمانەکانی ڕۆژئاوای ئێران لەناو زمانی کوردیدا هەڵگرین. ئەم وتارە، لە ڕێگەی بەراوردکردنی زمانی کوردی لەگەڵ زمانەکانی قۆناغی ئێرانی ناوەندی کە بەڵگەمەندن، کرۆنۆلۆجیایەکی گریمانەیی لە گۆڕانکارییە ڕێزمانییەکان بەدەستەوە دەدات. ئەم ڕێکارە ڕێگەمان پێ دەدات، کە بەشێوەیەکی تاقیکاری، کاتێک نزیک بەو سەردەمە دەستنیشان بکەین کە جۆراوجۆرییە نوێکان بەگوێرەی گۆڕانی ڕێزمانیی پەیوەندیدار لە یەک جیا دەبنەوە. بۆ پیشاندانی جۆرەکانی پەیوەندی زمانناسی کە لێرەدا خۆیان دەردەخەن، چەند مۆدێلی جیاواز لە بەرکەوتنی زمانی و درێژەدانی زمانی ئامادە کراوە.

On the reflexive-possessive markers in the Dongxiang language

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 581-600
Author(s):  
Julie Lefort
Keyword(s):  
Language Contact ◽  
Gansu Province ◽  
The Other ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Autonomous District ◽  
Idiomatic Expressions ◽  
Chinese Dialect ◽  
Chinese Dialects ◽  
The Common

Abstract Dongxiang is a language mainly spoken in the Autonomous District of southwest Gansu Province, People’s Republic of China. The Dongxiang nationality (東鄉族), as they are officially called, represents about 300,000 speakers. The Dongxiang language is one of the peripheral Mongolic languages spoken in the Gansu-Qinghai area, also known as the Shirongol group. These languages have been isolated from the other Mongolic languages and have been influenced by the surrounding Chinese dialects to a greater or lesser degree. They have common typological forms inherited from Middle Mongolian as well as features which have been induced by language contact. In this paper, I shall discuss the reflexive possessive markers in the Dongxiang language with a special focus on the suffix -nugvun. I shall show that the functions and use of Dongxiang reflexive possessive markers -ni and -ne are similar to those of the common Mongolic markers *-ni and *-xAn. The reflexive possessive marker -nugvun seems to be found in Dongxiang only and its origin remains unclear. In sources available from the 1980s to the 2000s, it is found associated with a restrictive number of pronouns, nouns, and idiomatic expressions and is highly grammaticalized. However, in more recent sources, it is found associated with a greater number of nouns and seems to have more semantic implications. Moreover, it is also found in a role which could be associated with that of a pronoun, and which can receive a plural and reflexive morphology. Nugvun can be used completely independently and is probably a calque of the Chinese dialect of Linxia 個家ge42 jia243 . This shows that it is most probably an innovation developed from the original suffix.

Introduction

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Sam Wolfe ◽  
Martin Maiden
Keyword(s):  
Language Contact ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Major Area ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Linguistic Research ◽  
Variationist Sociolinguistics ◽  
The Status ◽  
Grammatical Change

The introduction to the volume lays out its conceptual, theoretical and empirical background. It highlights how grammatical change has been a major area of interest within French linguistics, but that standard French is too often the exclusive empirical focus, while insights from comparative Gallo-Romance data tend to be lacking. Sociolinguistic theory has traditionally formed a modest part of linguistic research on both historical and contemporary French, but the introduction highlights a renewed interest in variationist sociolinguistics, issues of language contact, and the status of minority languages with France. The introduction concludes with an overview of Smith’s contribution to linguistics and summaries of the chapters that together form the volume.

On the Study of Strata in the Phonological History of Dialects

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-59
Author(s):  
Rulong Li
Keyword(s):  
Language Contact ◽  
Sound Change ◽  
Phonological Categories ◽  
History Of ◽  
Chinese Dialects

Researchers studying strata in the phonological history of Chinese dialects should note the following: First, some historical strata emerged because of language contact. Second, beside the evolution of phonological categories themselves, it is also important to trace the actual sound change from one pronunciation to another. Third, primary (i.e. covering most characters in a category) and secondary strata should be differentiated, and the latter should not be blown out of proportion. Fourth, researchers should find out how the various strata in a dialect constitute a single synchronic system. The four points in discussion are all illustrated with examples from Min dialects.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document