Parallel meanings, divergent forms in the north Vanuatu Sprachbund Diffusion or genetic inheritance?
28 September 2007 — ALT7, Paris
Areal studies and language families
Linguistic areas “A linguistic area is generally taken to be a geographically delimited area including languages from two or more language families, sharing significant traits.” [Dixon 2001]
“The central feature of a linguistic area is the existence of
structural similarities shared among languages of a geographical area, where usually some of the languages are genetically unrelated or at least are not all close relatives.” [Campbell 2006]
‣
Most areal studies involve distinct language families: Balkans, Mesoamerica, Ethiopia, SE Asia, India, Siberia...
‣
Another type:
Contact situations involving languages which are genetically closely related. e.g. Heeringa et al. 2000 for Germanic lgs; Chappell 2001 for Sinitic lgs…
Structural similarities < common ancestor or diffusion? ‣
This case study:
the 17 languages of north Vanuatu. 2
Torres Is. Banks Is. Maewo
Santo Ambae
Pentecost Malekula
Efate
Tanna
Hiw
The 17 languages of north Vanuatu
LoToga Löyöp Lehali Volow
Close genetic relationship Austronesian > Oceanic > North-Central Vanuatu [Clark 1985] > North Vanuatu [François 2005]
Mwotlap
Lemerig
Mota
Veraa
Mwesen Vurës
Sustained language contact and plurilingualism through trade, exogamy, shared cultural events… [Vienne 1984] Little mutual intelligibility Modern vehicular language: Bislama (Eng-lexifier pidgin)
Nume
Lakon Olrat Koro
Dorig
Mwerlap
Parallel meanings divergent forms in the north Vanuatu Sprachbund
6
təɣɔ
Negative existential
tatəɣɛ mɛp
tɛtɣɛ
taβɛɣɛh tatɛh
niβ ɣitaɣ Negative existential • “not be there, be absent” • “have not; lack” • (sentential) “no” • “it's alright” • “(try) to no avail”
Qualitative restrictive adverb • ‘just, only’ • restrictive with adjectives pragmatically oriented negatively • used with small numbers • used with recent past • ‘just (fine)’
Structural isomorphism • on the paradigmatic axis (semantic structure of lexicon)
• on the syntagmatic axis
ɣato mantaɣ ɣap
tɪk mintɛɣ ɣiβa
βɪtrɔw maŋtɛ ɣɔp
kpʷakpʷ warɛɣ ɣɛm
(syntax)
manɛs liŋliŋi am
“One grammar, 17 lexicons” [cf. Friedman 1997]
… or 18 counting Bislama! BISL
tok gut nomo
< *talk good no-more
luw kɛrɛ wɔː βit βɪlɪː wɔj
βɣat taβul wɔr
βit taβul wɔr luw menmen ɣɔm
The case of Bislama
Bislama ‣ English-based Pidgin with various Oceanic languages as its substratum (XIXth century)
[Tryon & Charpentier 2004]
‣ Bislama is the Vanuatu variety of Pacific English pidgins. (The variety here discussed is the one spoken in North Vanuatu)
Relexification ‣
About Haitian Creole, Lefebvre (1998: 9) defines relexification as
“a process of vocabulary substitution in which the only information adopted
from the target language in the lexical entry is the phonological information”
‣ Pre-existing functional moulds (lexemes, constructions…) were re-lexified with “phonological” (formal) material from the lexifier language. ‣ Bislama = Oceanic structures x English forms [Camden 1979, Keesing 1991]
11
təɣɔ
Negative existential
tatəɣɛ mɛp
tɛtɣɛ
taβɛɣɛh tatɛh
niβ ɣitaɣ Negative existential • “not be there, be absent” • “have not; lack” • (sentential) “no” • “it's alright” • “(try) to no avail” BISL
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Sep 28, 2007 - About Haitian Creole, Lefebvre (1998: 9) defines relexification as. âa process of vocabulary substitution in which the only information adopted.
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