The Diachrony of Tone Sandhi

The Diachrony of Tone Sandhi PDF

Author: Qing Lin

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-08-30

Total Pages: 119

ISBN-13: 9811319391

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This book investigates the diachronic change of the tone sandhi of Southern Min Chinese, which is known for its synchronic arbitrariness and opacity. It argues that in final-prominent tone sandhi, the change of final tones and the change of non-final tones can be highly independent and essentially different from each other. Accordingly, it proposes a new position-based diachronic approach to study the separate evolution of tones occurring at different positions. This book is the first study to rigorously and systematically explore the diachrony of Southern Min tone sandhi.

Tone Sandhi

Tone Sandhi PDF

Author: Matthew Y. Chen

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2000-08-03

Total Pages: 576

ISBN-13: 1139431498

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Matthew Chen's study, first published in 2000, offers a most comprehensive analysis of the rich and complex patterns of tone used in Chinese languages. Chinese has a wide repertoire of tones which undergo often surprising changes when they are connected in speech flow. The term tone sandhi refers to this tonal alternation. Chen examines tone sandhi phenomena in detail across a variety of Chinese dialects. He explores a range of important theoretical issues such as the nature of tonal representation, the relation of tone to accent, the prosodic domain of sandhi rules, and the interface between syntax and phonology. His book is the culmination of a ten-year research project and offers a wealth of empirical data not previously accessible to linguists. Extensive references and a bibliography on tone sandhi complete this invaluable resource which will be welcomed as a standard reference on Chinese tone.

The Diachrony of Classification Systems

The Diachrony of Classification Systems PDF

Author: William B. McGregor

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Published: 2018-05-14

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 9027264139

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Classification is a popular topic in typological, descriptive and theoretical linguistics. This volume is the first to deal specifically with the diachrony of linguistic systems of classification. It comprises original papers that examine the ways in which linguistic classification systems arise, change, and dissipate in both natural circumstances and in circumstances of attrition. The role of diffusion in such processes is explored, as well as the question of what can be diffused. The volume is not restricted to nominal systems of classification, but also includes papers dealing with the less well-known phenomenon of verbal classification. Languages from a wide spread of world regions are examined, including Africa, Amazonia, Australia, Eurasia, Oceania, and Mesoamerica. The volume will be of interest to linguistic typologists, descriptive linguists, historical linguists, and grammaticalization theorists.

Competing Models of Linguistic Change

Competing Models of Linguistic Change PDF

Author: Ole Nedergaard Thomsen

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2006-10-25

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 9027293198

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The articles of this volume are centered around two competing views on language change originally presented at the 2003 International Conference on Historical Linguistics in the two important plenary papers by Henning Andersen and William Croft. The latter proposes an evolutionary model of language change within a domain-neutral model of a ‘generalized analysis of selection’, whereas Henning Andersen takes it that cultural phenomena could not possibly be handled, i.e. observed, described, understood, in the same way as natural phenomena. These papers are models of succinct presentation of important theoretical framework. The other papers present and discuss additional models of change, e.g. invisible hand-processes, system-internal models, functional and cognitive models. Most papers do not subscribe to the evolutionary model; instead, they focus on functional factors in the selection and propagation of variants (as opposed to factors of code efficiency), or on cognitive and pragmatic perspectives. Several papers are inspired by the late Eugenio Coseriu and by Henning Andersen’s theories on language change. In particular, the volume contains articles proposing interesting grammaticalization studies and extended models of grammaticalization. The clear presentation of important and competing approaches to fundamental questions concerning language change will be of high interest for scholars and students working in the field of diachrony and typology. The languages referred to in the papers include Cantonese, the Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages, Danish, English, Eskimo languages, German, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish.

Diachronic Syntax

Diachronic Syntax PDF

Author: Ian Roberts

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 523

ISBN-13: 0199283664

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This book shows how the generative approach to linguistics may be used to understand how languages change. Generative diachronic syntax has developed since the inception of the principles and parameters approach to comparative syntax in the early 1980s: it has become increasingly important in historical linguistics and generative theory, acting as a bridge between them and providing insights to both. Ian Roberts relates work in historical linguistics to contemporary work on universal grammar and historical syntactic variation. He explains how standard questions in historical linguistics - including word-order change, grammaticalization, and reanalysis - can be explored in terms of current generative theory. He examines the nature of the links between syntactic change and first-language acquisition and considers the short and long-term effects of language contact. Professor Roberts provides numerous examples from a range of different languages, guides to further reading, and a comprehensive glossary. This is the ideal textbook introduction for students of syntactic change.

Tones in Zhangzhou

Tones in Zhangzhou PDF

Author: Yishan Huang

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2020-01-16

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 1527545482

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This book explores the nature of tones in Zhangzhou, an under-described Southern Min variety, based on quantitative analyses of data from 21 native speakers. It will interest students and linguists studying tone in languages of China and elsewhere in the world, in particular as an exemplar in the use of statistical methods to test and establish phonological categories in language. The study finds that realisations of Zhangzhou tones are multidimensional and that Zhangzhou has eight tones, overturning previous studies of seven tones based on the preservation of Middle Chinese tonal categories. The results presented here also suggest that the nature of Zhangzhou tones is morphological. The relationship between sandhi and citation tones is shown to be morphophonemic, while the relationship between phrase-final and citation tones is allophonic.

Inspirations from a Lofty Mountain— Festschrift in Honor of Professor William S-Y. Wang on his 90th Birthday

Inspirations from a Lofty Mountain— Festschrift in Honor of Professor William S-Y. Wang on his 90th Birthday PDF

Author: Gang PENG

Publisher: City University of HK Press

Published: 2023-07-19

Total Pages: 430

ISBN-13: 9629376725

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An internationally acclaimed linguist, Professor William S-Y. Wang has had a distinguished career both in Hong Kong and abroad. In addition to formulating the theory of lexical diffusion, his academic interests have included experimental phonetic studies, language simulation and modeling and, more recently, aging and language. In honor of Prof. Wang’s 90th birthday, his colleagues and friends from around the world have contributed more than 30 articles for a two-volume commemorative Festschrift. The contents of this English volume include diachronic, synchronic, and interdisciplinary linguistic studies from authors across Asia and in the United States. Focusing mainly on the Chinese language, topics include the evolution of language, the relationship between language and music, and the functions and processes of the brain involved in language production. Written by and for seasoned language researchers, this Festschrift will also appeal to students of Chinese linguistics and readers with an interest in Chinese culture, history, and neurology.

The Cambridge Handbook of Phonology

The Cambridge Handbook of Phonology PDF

Author: Paul de Lacy

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2007-02-01

Total Pages: 660

ISBN-13: 1139462059

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Phonology - the study of how the sounds of speech are represented in our minds - is one of the core areas of linguistic theory, and is central to the study of human language. This handbook brings together the world's leading experts in phonology to present the most comprehensive and detailed overview of the field. Focusing on research and the most influential theories, the authors discuss each of the central issues in phonological theory, explore a variety of empirical phenomena, and show how phonology interacts with other aspects of language such as syntax, morphology, phonetics, and language acquisition. Providing a one-stop guide to every aspect of this important field, The Cambridge Handbook of Phonology will serve as an invaluable source of readings for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, an informative overview for linguists and a useful starting point for anyone beginning phonological research.

Tonal Change and Neutralization

Tonal Change and Neutralization PDF

Author: Haruo Kubozono

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2018-03-05

Total Pages: 390

ISBN-13: 3110565064

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No book has ever been published on tonal change and neutralization, two closely related topics in tonal phonology. This will be the first book to be devoted to both. The articles collected in this volume analyze a wide range of data concerning tonal change and neutralization, including post-lexical neutralization which represents a new topic in prosodic research. The volume as a whole covers a wide range of tone and pitch-accent languages in Asia, Africa and Europe, with a main focus on Asian languages/dialects many of which are endangered now. In addition to presenting novel data and analyses about individual languages, it provides typological perspectives on tonal change and neutralization. This volume will serve as an indispensable source of data and analyses for a wide range of linguists interested in phonetics, phonology, prosody, historical linguistics, language typology, endangered languages, Japanese linguistics, and Chinese linguistics.

Sinophone Southeast Asia

Sinophone Southeast Asia PDF

Author:

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2021-09-06

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 9004473262

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This volume explores the diverse linguistic landscape of Southeast Asia’s Chinese communities. Based on archival research and previously unpublished linguistic fieldwork, it unearths a wide variety of language histories, linguistic practices, and trajectories of words. The localized and often marginalized voices we bring to the spotlight are quickly disappearing in the wake of standardization and homogenization, yet they tell a story that is uniquely Southeast Asian in its rich hybridity. Our comparative scope and focus on language, analysed in tandem with history and culture, adds a refreshing dimension to the broader field of Sino-Southeast Asian Studies.