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On the distribution, evolution, and adaptation of linguistic complexity
Two studies in synchronic and diachronic typology| old_uid | 16095 |
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| title | On the distribution, evolution, and adaptation of linguistic complexity
Two studies in synchronic and diachronic typology |
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| start_date | 2018/06/22 |
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| schedule | 14h-16h |
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| online | no |
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| location_info | salle André Frossard |
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| details | Séminaire DTT |
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| summary | In this talk I present my research on the typological study of linguistic complexity and its sociohistorical correlates.
In the first part of the talk, I present joint work with Kaius Sinnemäki (University of Helsinki) on methodological issues in sociolinguistic typology. We investigate what typological and sociolinguistic variables may be best suited to understand the relationship between language structures and social structures, and we test what methods of analysis may be most appropriate to capture this relationship.Our research shows that while there is evidence for adaptive patterns of language structures to the sociolinguistic environment (1) not all linguistic variables adapt, and (2) multiple sociolinguistic variables conspire to shape patterns of linguistic adaptation and their effects cannot be studied in isolation. We draw these conclusions based on a dataset of about 300 languages and on two case studies of morphological complexity in the verbal (degree of in ectional synthesis) and nominal (number of gender distinctions) domain.
In the second part of the talk, I present ongoing work with Annemarie Verkerk (Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History) on patterns of restructuring in the gender marking systems of the Bantu languages and their sociohistorical correlates. The project aims to develop a diachronic typology of Bantu gender marking systems, by addressing variation across the languages of the family, the distribution of this variation, and the patterns of language change that can be inferred to motivate it. We work on a sample of 254+ Bantu languages from zones A-B-C-D-H, where both traditional and heavily restructured gender systems have been attested (Maho 1999). Our fndings so far indicate that several Bantu gender systems have undergone animacy-based restructuring and that these patterns of restructuring can be classified into two types, partial and radical, depending on how pervasive animacy-based gender marking is. I frst illustrate the two types of restructuring with examples from selected languages, and comment on their geographic distribution within the sampled area. I then move on to how the emergence and distribution of such patterns of restructuring can be modeled using phylogenetic comparative methods and how these models compare with existing typological literature on the evolution of gender marking systems (Corbett 1979, 1991, 2006; Dahl 2000; Di Garbo & Miestamo forthcoming). Finally I discuss the socio-historical and geographical factors (e.g., demography, history of migrations, proximity to typologically similar and/or genealogically related languages) that may favor/disfavor the rise and spread of restructuring in this domain of grammar and within the Bantu family. |
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| responsibles | Coupé |
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