LIN 591 - Language Universals and Typology - Seminar - Fall 1999

T 4:40 - 7:30

Elly van Gelderen

e-mail: ellyvangelderen@asu.edu

(voice-mail: 965 2563)

Aims:

(a) to clarify the different definitions of `typology'; the difference between genetic, areal, and typological classifications; typology in the different linguistic frameworks.

(b) to examine language universals, e.g. regarding vowel systems, morphological systems (e.g. Case versus agreement), word order, tense and aspect, modality, transitivity, pronouns, auxiliaries, relative clauses, subject/topic, and numeral systems.

(c) to look at typological issues in different language families, for instance, `mixed' typologies.

(d) to discuss the implications for language change.

Methods:

We start by looking at what typology is, and when/why it became `popular'. Then, we'll catalogue the areas with typological generalizations. After that, we will examine a number of issues in different language families (the topics are up to the interests of the students) and the relevance of typology to language change. Students will be expected to read the required reading each week and formulate questions about these. Three homework assignments will consolidate some of the otherwise diffuse material. The final paper could focus on either a language universal, an issue in a particular language family or in language change.

Evaluation: This may be slightly modified (with the approval of the students) depending on class size:

30%: 10 times 1 question or comment regarding the readings (to be handed in by e-mail the day before class and to be used in class).

30%: 3 short homework assignments.

40%: research paper. In week 12, a first draft of the paper is due. The final paper should be 12-15 pages and is due the last week.

Required texts:

Instructor will make texts available on loan.

Electronic Resources:

www.sil.org/ethnologue: has data on 6703 languages

www.ling.lancs.ac.uk/alt: the homepage of the association for language typology. They have a discussion list that you can only join if you become a member!!

www.sil.org/computing/catalog/sat.html: provide (freeware) speech analysis tools and IPA font.

TACT 2.1 is freely available as a text analysis program (search the web for this).

e-texts: etext.lib.virginia.edu/ and www.georgetown.edu/labyrinth

www.ldc.upenn.edu/...: lots of programs and corpora.

Journals:

Studies in Language

Linguistic Typology: first appeared in 1997; Hayden does not have it, but the alt homepage lists the contents and hence you can order it ILL (or let me order it).

Book series:

Benjamins has a typological series (Studies in Language Companion Series), and Mouton de Gruyter has too (Empirical Approaches to Language Typology). Lincom Europa in München publishes (short) grammars of little known languages: home.t-online.de/home/LINCOM.EUROPA

Audio language tapes from audio-forum (I have a catalogue)

Schedule:

 

INTRODUCTION:

Week 1

24 Aug : Introduction (what is `typology', Hawkins 1988: ix-x, Preface), Resources, and Organization. Select a language (maps from Lyovin 1997; Sc Am 1991 map) that we'll examine together throughout the course.

 

APPROACHES:

Week 2

31 Aug : Different definitions of `typology'; the difference between genetic, areal, and typological classifications; typology in the different linguistic frameworks. Reading: Review O'Grady et al (1997, ch 9); Read Chomsky (1995: 13-30); Shibatani & Bynon (1995: 1-25). Additional reading: Comrie (1981: chap 1).

Week 3

7 Sept : General classification. Morphology: Sapir (1921: chap 6). Syntax: Greenberg (1963: 73-113): "Some Universals of Grammar with Particular Reference to the Order of Meaningful Elements".

TOPICS:

Week 4

14 Sept : Universal categories and universal word order: Dryer (1992). Category change: Verbs/light verbs/auxiliaries: Hopper & Traugott (1993: 108-112); van Gelderen (1989). Additional Reading: Fukui (1995); Kayne (1994); Schachter (1985, in Shopen, vol 1). HW1 (WO and morph) due

Week 5

21 Sept : Subject vs topic: Li & Thompson (1976). Pro-drop: Chomsky (1981: 240 ff). Passives: Whaley (1997: 183-200). Additional reading on subjects: Keenan (1985).

Week 6

28 Sept : Case and Agreement: Comrie (1981: 117-130) and Barlow & Ferguson (1988). Ergativity: Dixon (1994: 1-22). Additional reading: Burzio: (1986).

Week 7

5 Oct : Tense and Aspect: Whaley (1997: 203-218); Hopper (1979). Additional Reading: Comrie (1985: chap 1); Comrie (1976: 16-51); Malotki (1983); Reichenbach (1947).

Week 8

12 Oct : Clauses. Subordinate and coordinate clauses: Whaley (1997: 247-280). Relative Clauses: Keenan & Comrie (1977). Additional reading: Comrie (1981: chap 7); Mallinson & Blake (1981: 261-372). HW2 (Case, agreement, tense and aspect) due.

Week 9

19 Oct : Pronouns and reflexives. Read: Ingram (1978); Faltz (1985: 1-27). Additional reading: Forchheimer (1953).

Week 10

26 Oct : Numerals (atoms, bases, and syntax): Greenberg (1978). Additional Reading: Clark (1976); Whaley (1997: 170-182).

Week 11

2 Nov : Possessives: have vs be. Heine (1997: 1-47). Additional Reading: Mahajan (1997); Kayne (1993).

The relationship between typological and genetic classification: video.

Week 12

9 Nov : Optimality Theory and UG. The syllable: Archangeli (1997: 1-32)

Week 13

16 Nov : Review of all topics/articles. Draft of research paper is due

Week 14

23 Nov : Review continued. HW3 due.

Week 15

30 Nov : Student papers

Week 16

7 Dec : Student papers

 

 

References: These are a motley bunch. They reflect my own interests, as well as the two streams of typology. Some are quite old but included since they are still `standard' references. Some are included to give you ideas for a paper.

Akmajian, Adrian, Susan Steele & Tom Wasow 1979. "The Category of AUX in Universal Grammar". Linguistic Inquiry 10.1: 1-64.

Alexiadou, A. & T. Hall (eds.) 1997. Studies on Universal Grammar and Typological Variation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. @

Archangeli, Diana 1997 "Introduction", in Optimality Theory, ed by Archangeli & Langendoen, 1-32. Blackwell. P 158.42 O68 1997

Bach, Emmon & Robert Harms eds. 1968. Universals in Linguistic Theory. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Rinehart. P123 U5

Baker, Mark. 1988. Incorporation. Chicago: Chicago University Press.

Barlow, Michael & Charles Ferguson 1988. Agreement in Natural Language. Stanford: CSLI.

Benveniste, Emile 1966. Problèmes de linguistique générale. Paris: Gallimard.

Bloomfield, Leonard 1933. Language. Chicago. @

Burzio, L. 1986. Italian Syntax. Dordrecht: Kluwer.

Bybee, Joan 1985. Morphology. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. @

--, John Haiman & Sandra Thompson (eds.) 1997. Essays on Language Function and Language Type. Amsterdam: Benjamins.

--, Revere Perkins & William Pagliuca 1994. The Evolution of Grammar: Tense, Aspect, and Modality in the Languages of the World. Chicago UP.@

Cantarino, V. 1975. Syntax of Modern Arabic Prose, vol. II. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Chomsky, Noam 1965. Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. MIT Press. @

-- 1986. Barriers. MIT Press. @

-- 1995. The Minimalist Program. MIT Press. @

Cinque, G. 1995. Italian Syntax and Universal Grammar. CUP. PC1361 C56 1995

-- ed. 1994. Paths towards Universal Grammar. P201 P36 1994

Clark, Eve. 1976. "Universal Categories: On the semantics of classifiers and Children's early Word Meanings", in Juilland, vol 4.

Comrie, Bernard 1976. Aspect. Cambridge: CUP. @

-- 1981. Language Universals and Linguistic Typology. Chicago UP. @

-- 1985. Tense. Cambridge: CUP. @

-- 1987. (ed) The World's major languages. London: Croom Helm.

-- & M. Eid eds. 1991. Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics III. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Corbett, C.G. 1979. "The Agreement Hierarchy", Journal of Linguistics 15: 203-224. @

Craig, Colette (ed) 1986. Noun Classes and Categorization. Amsterdam: Benjamins.

Croft, William. 1990. Typology and Universals. CUP.@

Decsy, Gyula 1988. A Select Catalog of Language Universals. Bloomington: Eurolingua. P204 D43 1988.

Dixon, R. 1994. Ergativity. Cambridge: CUP. @

Dryer, Matthew 1992. "The Greenbergian Word Order Correlations", Language: 81-138. @

Eckman, F, L. Bell, and D. Nelson 1984. Universals of Second Language Acquisition. P118 U56 1984

Faltz, Leonard 1985. Reflexivization: A Study in Universal Syntax. New York: Garland.

Fassi Fehri, A. 1993. Issues in the Structure of Arabic Clauses and Words. Dordrecht: Kluwer. @

Ferguson Vol I of Greenberg 78

Forchheimer, P. 1953. The Category of Person in Language. Berlin: W de Gruyter.

Fukui, N. 1995. in Shibatani & Bynon. @

Gamkrelidze, T. & V. Ivanov 1994. Indo-European and the Indo-Europeans. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. (pp. 185-375)

-- 1995 Part 2

Gelderen, Elly van 1993. The Rise of Functional Categories. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

-- 1997. Verbal Agreement and the Grammar behind its `Breakdown'. Tübingen: Niemeyer.

-- 1999. A history of Reflexives, ms.

Givon, Talmy 1983. "Topic Continuity in Discourse", in Switch Reference and Universal Grammar, edited by John Haiman & Pamela Munro: 51-82. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Greenberg, Joseph (ed.) 1963. "Some Universals of Grammar with Particular Reference to the Order of Meaningful Elements", in Universals of Language MIT Press @.

-- 1966. Language Universals with special reference to feature hierarchies. The Hague: Mouton. P123 G7

-- 1973. "The Typological Method", ed. by T. Sebeok Current Trends in Linguistics 11: 149-93. Den Haag: Mouton. @

-- 1974. Language Typology: A historical and Analytical Overview. The Hague: Mouton. P123 G68 @

-- 1978. Universals of Human Language 4 vols. Stanford UP.

-- 1986. "Some Reflections on Pronominal Systems", Pronominal Systems, ed by U. Wiesemann. Tübingen: Narr: xvii-xxi.

-- 1997. "The Indo-European First and Second Person Pronouns in the Perspective of Eurasiatic, Especially Chukotkan". Anthropological Linguistics 39.2: 187-219. @

Haider, H. & M. Prinzhorn, eds. 1986. Verb Second Phenomena in Germanic Languages. Dordrecht: Foris. @

Haiman, John & Pamela Munro (eds) 1983. Switch-reference and Universal Grammar. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Harvey, Mark & Nicholas Reid 1997. Nominal Classification in Aboriginal Australia. Amsterdam: Benjamins.

Hawkins, John 1983. Word Order Universals. **

-- (ed). 1988. Explaining Language Universals. Blackwell. P204 E96 1988.

Heine, B. et al 1991. Grammaticalization. Chicago: Chicago UP. @

-- 1984. Grammaticalization and reanalysis in African Languages. Hamburg: Helmut Buske.

-- 1997. Possession. CUP. P299 P67 H45 1997.

Holenstein, Elmar. 1985. Sprachliche Universalien. Bochum.

Hopper, Paul. 1979. "Aspect and Foregrounding in Discourse", in Givon, T. Discourse and Syntax. Academic Press. (S&S 12)

Hopper, Paul & Traugott Elizabeth 1993. Grammaticalization. CUP. @

Humboldt, W. von **

Hurford, James 1987. Language and Number. Oxford: Blackwell. P275 H87 1987.

Ingram, David. 1978. in Greenberg (ed).

Jelinek & Demers 1994. "Predicates and Nominal Arguments in Straits Salish", Language: 697-736. @

Juilland, Alphonse 1976. Linguistic Studies offered to Joseph Greenberg, 3 volumes. Anma Libri. NB the ASU copies are not properly bound. E.g the syntax volume has phonology inside. [Someone had a sense of humor].

Justeson, John 1976. "Universals of Language and Universals of Writing", in Juilland, vol 4.

Kayne, Richard 1993. "Towards a modular theory of auxiliary selection", Studia Linguistica 47.1: 3-31.

-- 1994. The Antisymmetry of Syntax. MIT Press. @

-- (ed) 1996. "Microparametric Syntax: Some Introductory Remarks". Microparametric Syntax and Dialect Variation, James Black & Virginia Motapanyane (eds.). Amsterdam: Benjamins. @

Katz, Dovid. 1987. Grammar of the Yiddish Language. Duckworth. @

Katzner, K. 1986. The Languages of the World London: Routledge, Kegan, Paul. P201 K35 1986: Hayden reference.

Keenan, Ed. 1987. Universal Grammar: 15 Essays. London: Croom Helm.

-- & Bernard Comrie 1977. "Noun Phrase Accessibility and Universal Grammar", Linuistic Inquiry 8: 63-99.

Kibrik in Lehmann 1991

Krauss, M. in Lehmann 1986

Ladefoged, Peter & Ian Maddieson 1996. The Sounds of the World's Languages. Oxford: Blackwell. P 221 L24 1996

Laenzlinger, Christopher 1998. Comparative Studies in Word Order Variation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Lehmann, Winfred P. 1978. Syntactic Typology. Austin: UT Press.

-- 1986. Language Typology 1985. Amsterdam: Benjamins.

-- 1990. Language Typology 1987. Amsterdam: Benjamins.

-- 1993. Theoretical Bases of Indo-European Linguistics. London: Routledge. @

-- & Helen-Jo Hewitt 1991. Language Typology 1988. Amsterdam: Benjamins.

Li & Thompson, Sandra 1976. **

Lightfoot, David 1979. Principles of Diachronic Syntax. CUP. @

-- 1991 How to set Parameters. MIT Press. @

Lillo-Martin, Diane 1991. Universal Grammar and American Sign Language. Dordrecht: Kluwer. HV 2474 L55 1991.

Lyons, John 1967. "A note on possessive, existential and locative sentences", Foundations of Language 3: 390-6.

Lyovin, Anatole 1997. An Introduction to the Languages of the World. OUP. P371 L96 1997.

Mahajan, Anoop. 1997. "The Typology of Ergative Languages". Universal Grammar and Typological Variation, ed. by A. Alexiadou & T. Hall. Amsterdam: John Bejamins: 35-57.@

Mallinson, Graham & Barry Blake. 1981. Language Typology. Amsterdam: North Holland Publishing.

Malotki, E. 1979. Hopi-Raum. Tübingen: Gunter Narr.

Malotki, E. 1983. Hopi Time. Berlin: Mouton.

McDonough, J. 1990. Topics in the Phonology and Morphology of Navajo Verbs. UMASS PhD.

Moravcsik, Edith 1978. in vol I of Greenberg 1978

Newman, S. 1965. Zuni Grammar. UNM Press. @

Newmeyer, Frederick 1998. "The Irrelevance of Typology for Grammatical Theory". Syntaxis 1: 161-197.

Nichols, L. 1990. "Direct Quotation and Switch Reference in Zuni", BLS, Special Session: 91-100. @

-- 1997. Topics in Zuni Syntax. Harvard PhD. @

Prokosch, E. 1938. A Comparative Germanic Grammar. Baltimore: LSA.@

Reichenbach, H. 1947. Elements of Symbolic Logic. New York: Free Press.

Ruhlen, M. 1994. The Origin of Language. New York: Wiley. @

Sapir, E. 1921. Language. HBJ. @

Schauber, E. 1979. The Syntax and Semantics of Questions in Navajo. NY: Garland.

Seaman, D. "Hopi Linguistics: an annotated bibliography". Anthropological Linguistics 19: 78-97.

Shibatani, Masayoshi & Theodora Bynon (eds). 1995. Approaches to Language Typology. OUP. @

Shopen, Timothy 1985. Language Typology and Syntactic Description. 3 vols. CUP.

Silverstein, M. 1976 [1986]. "Hierarchy of Features and Ergativity", in Muysken, Pieter & Henk van Riemsdijk. Features and Projections. Dordrecht: Foris: 163-232.

Stirling, L. 1993. Switch Reference and Discourse Representation. CUP.

Tegey, H. 1979. "Ergativity in Pushto". Essays in Honor of H Penzl, edited by I. Rauch and G. Carr. Mouton.

Thráinsson, Höskuldur 1996. "On the (Non)-Universality of Functional Categories", in Minimal Ideas: Syntactic Studies in the Minimalist Framework ed. by Werner Abraham et al. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Traugott, E. & B. Heine, eds. 1991. Approaches to Grammaticalization I and II. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. @

Whaley, L. 1999. An Introduction to Typology. Sage Publications.

White, Lydia 1989. Universal Grammar and Second Language. Amsterdam: Benjamins.

Wetzer, Harrie 1996. The Typology of Adjectival Predication. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Zaefferer. Dietmar (ed) 1991. Semantic Universals and Universal Semantics. Berlin/New York: Foris. P 325 S 374 1991

Zepeda, O. 1983/1994. A Papago Grammar. Tucson: UA Press. @

Zepeda, O. 1984. Topics in Papago Morphology. UA diss.

Zepeda, O. 1987. "Desiderative Causatives in Tohono O'odham", IJAL 53.3: 348-61.@

 

Homework # 1 LIN 591 Elly van Gelderen

Due 16 September 1999

 

 

Please answer the following questions about Zuni.

 

WORD ORDER

1. Nichols (1997: 6; you have pp. 1-32) says that in Zuni "the verb always occurs finally and strictly so; only an adverbial particle used to convey aspect ... appear to be able to follow the verb". Is this what you would expect in a strict V-final language? Does Greenberg say anything about this?

 

2. What else would you expect in a V-final language? Can you find an example in the first chapter?

 

3. What can you say about Zuni and Universal 20? Do you have all the Zuni data that you need?

 

 

MORPHOLOGY

4. Just taking sentences (2a-e) and (3) into account, are any of the Universals from 27 to 37 relevant?

 

  1. How would you classify this language: analytic or synthetic or some other way, and why? (use Sapir)

 

Homework #2 - LIN 591 - Due 14 Oct 1999

 

Tense/Aspect

1. What could you say about tense and aspect in Zuni if you just looked at Nichols pp. 30-1? (Hint: think about Whaley's discussion of aspect)

 

2. This question is more complex than Q1 since it is based on Newman's (1965: 34-55) Zuni Grammar (the relevant pages are added) and this is `thick' reading. Newman describes that the Zuni verb has derivational prefixes (5 prefix positions), 6 derivational suffixes (6 suffix positions), and inflectional suffixes.

a. Can you make a generalization of what is expressed by derivationl prefixes as against derivational suffixes as against inflectional suffixes? Why would Newman use these terms? Do Greenberg's Universals help you?

b. Describe how are tense and aspect expressed on the Zuni verb?

 

 

Case/agreement

3. Does Zuni have Case, agreement, both, or neither? Give appropriate examples.

 

 

Ergativity

4. Read Newman pp. 43-5. Do you think Zuni is ergative? Please give some reasons.