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O'Meara, Carolyn; Bohnemeyer, Jurgen – Language Sciences, 2008
The nominal lexicon of Seri is characterized by a prevalence of analytical descriptive terms. We explore the consequences of this typological trait in the landscape domain. The complex landscape terms of Seri classify geographic entities in terms of their material make-up and spatial properties such as shape, orientation, and merological…
Descriptors: Uncommonly Taught Languages, Language Minorities, Dictionaries, Nouns
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Widlok, Thomas – Language Sciences, 2008
Even before it became a common place to assume that "the Eskimo have a hundred words for snow" the languages of hunting and gathering people have played an important role in debates about linguistic relativity concerning geographical ontologies. Evidence from languages of hunter-gatherers has been used in radical relativist challenges to…
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Geography, Language Classification, Vocabulary
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Messling, Markus – Language Sciences, 2008
From an epistemological perspective, Wilhelm von Humboldt's studies on the Oriental and East Asian languages and writing systems (Egyptian hieroglyphs, Sanskrit, Chinese, Polynesian) raise the question of his position in the Orientalist discourse of his time. Said [Said, E.W., 1978. "Orientalism. Western Conceptions of the Orient, fourth…
Descriptors: Anthropological Linguistics, Anthropology, Second Language Learning, Language Classification
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Haspelmath, Martin – Language Sciences, 1998
An analysis of Standard Average European, a European linguistic area, looks at 11 of its features (definite, indefinite articles, have-perfect, participial passive, antiaccusative prominence, nominative experiencers, dative external possessors, negation/negative pronouns, particle comparatives, A-and-B conjunction, relative clauses, verb fronting…
Descriptors: Contrastive Linguistics, Diachronic Linguistics, Foreign Countries, Language Classification
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Aikhenvald, Alexandra Y.; Dixon, R. M. W. – Language Sciences, 1998
A discussion of areal linguistics and Amazonian languages looks at common properties of Amazonian languages, the occurrence, origins, and development of evidentiality systems in a number of those languages, and patterns of grammatical diffusion. Concludes that communities in the Amazonian linguistics area share common beliefs, mental attitudes,…
Descriptors: Contrastive Linguistics, Foreign Countries, Language Classification, Language Patterns
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van der Auwera, Johan – Language Sciences, 1998
A study took features identified by specialists as typical for the Balkan and Meso-American linguistic areas and counted them for each relevant language. The resulting ranking of languages reflects the extent to which each language exemplifies the areal type, which was then plotted on isopleth maps. Both rankings and maps are useful in…
Descriptors: Contrastive Linguistics, Foreign Countries, Language Classification, Language Patterns
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Kuteva, Tania – Language Sciences, 1998
Argues that with regard to an important part of verbal morphosyntax (Tense-Aspect-Mood or TAM), it is possible to speak of a Standard Average European. Focus is on origins and evolution of TAM-markers, or TAM-auxiliation, suggesting that particular verb structures provide conceptual sources for auxiliation, and that it has an areal configuration…
Descriptors: Contrastive Linguistics, Diachronic Linguistics, Foreign Countries, Grammar
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Trask, R. L. – Language Sciences, 1998
The typological position of the Basque language is examined from an explicitly historical perspective, exploring the degree to which it has undergone typological assimilation into its Indo-European neighbors during the last 2,000 years. Phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon are considered. (MSE)
Descriptors: Basque, Contrastive Linguistics, Diachronic Linguistics, Foreign Countries
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Nedjalkov, Igor – Language Sciences, 1998
Gives an account of converb (adverbial participle or gerund) systems in eight languages from Paleoasiatic and Altaic families spoken in northeastern Siberia. The rich converbal system is not the only relevant and peculiar feature common to the languages, but it is not common in other languages. The characteristics of converbs are described, and…
Descriptors: Contrastive Linguistics, Foreign Countries, Form Classes (Languages), Language Classification