Sociogeographic correlates of typological variation in northwestern Bantu gender systems

This paper investigates the sociolinguistic factors that impact the typology and evolution of grammatical gender systems in northwestern Bantu, the most diverse area of the Bantu-speaking world. We base our analyses on a typological classification of 179 northwestern Bantu languages, focusing on various instances of semantic agreement and their role in the erosion of gender marking. In addition, we conduct in-depth analyses of the sociolinguistics and population history of the 17 languages of the sample with the most eroded gender systems. The sociohistorical factors identified to explain these highly eroded systems are then translated into a set of explanatory variables, which we use to conduct extensive quantitative analyses on the 179 language sample. These variables are population size, longitude, latitude, relationship with the Central African rainforest, and border with Ubangi/Central Sudanic languages. All these measures are relevant, with population size and bordering with Ubangi/Central Sudanic being the most robust factors in accounting for the distribution of gender restructuring. We conclude that fine-tuned variable design tailored to language and area-specific ecologies is crucial to the advancement of quantitative sociolinguistic typology.

TYPOLOGICAL AND STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ERGONYMS WITH ANTROPONYMIC ELEMENT (case study of the names of trade and service enterprises of Izhevsk)

The high density of ergonyms in the urban onomasticon, as well as their social orientation, has contributed to the constant scientific interest in these linguistic units. The article presents the results of studying ergonyms with an anthroponymic element of commercial enterprises and service companies located in the city of Izhevsk. The authors analyze the typological characteristics of ergonyms, their structural features. The problems of compatibility between business name and company sector is under consideration as well. When selecting material for research, the method of continuous sampling was used. The main method used to study is the method of scientific description, which involves direct observation, systematization, classification and interpretation. Based on the results of the description of the constituents of the four groups, a conclusion is made about the high typological variation of units and their structural diversity. Graphic ways to display a business name are characterized by the use of the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets including letters, punctuation marks and different symbols.

Sinitic as a typological sandwich: revisiting the notions of Altaicization and Taicization

Decades of works dedicated to the description of (previously) lesser-known Sinitic languages have effectively dispelled the common myth that these languages share a single “universal Chinese grammar”. Yet, the underlying cause of their grammatical variation is still a matter for debate. This paper focuses on typological variation across Sinitic varieties. Through comparing the typological profiles of various Sinitic languages with those of their Altaic and Mainland Southeast Asian (MSEA) neighbors, we discuss to what extent the variation within the Sinitic branch can be attributed to areal diffusion. Taking into account over 360 language varieties of seven different genetic affiliations (Sinitic, Turkic, Mongolic, Tungusic, Hmong-Mien, Tai-Kadai, Austroasiatic) and 30 linguistic features, we conduct a typological survey with the aid of the phylogenetic program NeighborNet. Our results suggest that convergence towards their non-Sinitic neighbors has likely played a pivotal role in the typological diversity of Sinitic languages. Based primarily on their degree of Altaic/MSEA influence, the Sinitic varieties in our database are classified into four areal groups, namely 1) Northern, 2) Transitional, 3) Central Southeastern, 4) Far Southern. This classification scheme reflects the intricate interplay between areal convergence, regional innovations, and retention of archaic features.

North Africa and the Middle East

This chapter provides an overview of the prosodic systems of languages spoken in North Africa and the Middle East, taking in North Africa and the Horn of Africa, plus the Arabian Peninsula, and the Middle East (but excluding Kurdish). The survey sketches the nature and scope of typological variation—in respect to prosody—across the whole of the Afro-Asiatic and Nilo-Saharan language families, addressing, within the limits of the existing literature: word prosody, prosodic phrasing, melodic structure, and prosodic expression of meaning (sentence modality, focus, and information structure). The survey is organized around language sub-families, reporting what is known about the different aspects of prosody for each sub-family, together with a brief discussion of priorities for future research.

Sémantique de la grammaire, parcours typologiques et changement historique

This article revisits the notion of distinctive features used in linguistic semantics, through which this discipline converges with semiotics. Applied to grammar, traits make it possible to characterize notional categories and the links between them. These links are empirically demonstrated by the regularities in typological variation and in diachronic evolution. New data are provided explaining the passage from one category to another, in particular from indefinites to negation proper. The approach makes it possible to identify the features and notional categories that structure the semantics of grammar across languages.

Cross-linguistic differences in categorical perception: Comparison of Danish and Norwegian

Are all languages processed in the same way, or might typological variation cause systematic differences between languages? We explore this question through a cross-linguistic comparison of categorical perception in two closely related languages, Danish and Norwegian. We employ drift diffusion models to reveal cross-linguistic differences in the role of context: Danish – a more phonologically-opaque language – shows equally strong context effects of both near and distal context, while Norwegian shows stronger context effect of near than distal context. We argue that the difference is due to a processing strategy: due to the more transparent sound structure of their language, Norwegians pay more attention to local acoustic information - while Danes, due to the opaque phonology of Danish, seem to use later-occurring contextual information to a larger extent. Indeed, when forcing participants to delay their decision until the full information is available, Norwegians show choice patterns more similar to those of Danes. Our findings highlight the importance of cross-linguistic studies, as even closely related languages like Danish and Norwegian, appear to be processed differently contingent on individual properties of the specific language.

Baitul Rahmah: a Final Evolution of The Malay Classical Style Amidst Change

The paper highlights the significance and position of the Baitul Rahmah, an early 20th-century mansion in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia, as a key milestone of stylistic evolvement of local vernacular architecture. Its form embodies, a typological variation at a time of growing Colonial imperialism, while its grammar and language refers to early modern stylistic expression reflecting the fundamental principles of indigenous architecture. The Baitul Rahmah brings to light how a final evolution and epitome of the vernacular projects an identity as a cosmopolitan manifestation. Its internal ornamentation recalls the stylized forms of local motifs and reflect a form of control and minimalism; i.e. an ‘ornamental decorum’. Its wood-carved expressions seem stylised into increasing ‘modernised’ simplication and modularity, while its masonry- timber structure reflect the identity of hybridity in architecture which symbolise the tensions of local communities as they step into the 1900s into a global context.

Eastern Sudanic

Eastern Sudanic, the largest Nilo-Saharan subgroup in terms of number of languages, is spread over a vast area from Chad towards Eritrea and southwards towards central Tanzania. In spite of considerable phonological variation (for example concerning vowel harmony) and morphosyntactic typological variation (for example concerning the tripartite number marking, differential object marking, and differential subject marking, or the presence versus absence of coverbs, light verbs, converbs, or pluractionality) within this branch, a range of diagnostic features provide clues to the genetic coherence as well as to the divergence of Eastern Sudanic, thereby supporting its classification as a valid subgroup of Nilo-Saharan.

The Negative Cycle and Beyond

The expression of negation shows significant typological variation, for example by adverbial particles or verbs. In some languages, the different strategies are diachronically related, and the formal expression of negation can undergo a cyclic renewal. This chapter discusses the different lexical sources for the grammaticalization of new negative markers, and the formal processes involved. It also broaches on some open questions, such as why some languages do not renew their expression of negation while others do, and why they do at different speeds.