1st Edition

Historical Linguistics and Endangered Languages Exploring Diversity in Language Change

Edited By Patience Epps, Danny Law, Na'ama Pat-El Copyright 2022
306 Pages 25 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

306 Pages 25 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

306 Pages 25 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This collection showcases the contributions of the study of endangered and understudied languages to historical linguistic analysis, and the broader relevance of diachronic approaches toward developing better informed approaches to language documentation and description. The volume brings together perspectives from both established and up-and-coming scholars and represents a globally and... Read more

List of contributors

1. Introduction. Patience Epps, Danny Law, and Na’ama Pat-El

Section I. Synchrony and diachrony in phonological systems

2. Why is tone change still poorly understood, and how might documentation of less-studied tone languages help? Eric W. Campbell

3. Phonological enrichment in Neo-Aramaic dialects through language contact. Geoffrey Khan

4. Vowel quality as a history maker: Stress, metaphony and the renewal of Proto-Semitic morphology in Modern South Arabian. Julien Dufour

Section II. Synchrony and diachrony in morphology and syntax

5. Patterns of retention and innovation in Dene-Yeniseian verb morphology. Edward J. Vajda

6. Serial verbs and the production of grammatical morphology. Patience Epps and Sunkulp Ananthanarayan

Section III. Dynamics of diversity and contact

7. The comparative method and language change in residual areas: A view from the Nuba Mountains. Gerrit J. Dimmendaal

8. Inside Contact-Stimulated Grammatical Development. Marianne Mithun

Section IV. Classification and Prehistory

9. A Reconstruction of Proto-Croisilles Phonology and Lexicon. Andrew Pick

10. The linguistic prehistory of the western Himalayas: Endangered minority languages as a window to the past. Manuel Widmer

Index

Biography

Patience Epps is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Texas at Austin, USA.

Danny Law is Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Texas at Austin, USA.

Na’ama Pat-El is  Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, USA.