18th Himalayan Languages Symposium 10-12 September 2012 Department of Linguistics Banaras Hindu Universitya ABSTRACT BOOKLET Editing ANIL THAKUR & SANJUKTA GHOSH Editorial Assistance SHAILENDRA KUMAR Department of Linguistics Banaras Hindu University Varanasi – 221005 INDIA September 2012 18th Himalayan Languages Symposium A Brief Outline The idea of hosting a Himalayan Languages Symposium at Banaras Hindu University was first explored at the 13th Himalayan Languages Symposium held at IIAS, Shimla in 2007, where we were participants. Many point were discussed that made Varanasi and particularly BHU a potential venue. Professor George van Driem and Professor JC Sharma suggested that since there is a Linguistics Department at Banaras Hindu University and we were working in this area that Banaras Hindu University should host the symposium. Some other points were: that Central University of Tibetan Studies at Sarnath is located in the city and there could be very good collaborative efforts in form of co-organizing the Event or exchange of expersise in this area; Varanasi as a city of spiritual, historical and academic significance is loved as a tourist- destination by a large number of tourists (including international tourists) and several researchers working on the Himalayan languages want to visit the city along with participating in the symposium; Banaras Hindu University has several departments such as Departments of Indian Languages (Nepali), History of Art, Archeology and other language departments that could jointly organize the Event since there are a number of common research issues across these disciplines. We were a bit reluctant because as junior faculty we were quite aware of the degree of interdisciplinary interactions at Banaras Hindu University, particularly in the Faculty of Arts and the kind of responsibility that involved in organizing such an Event. However, we decided to explore the possibility and after coming back we talked to our senior colleagues in the Department and we also explored the possibility of having Central University of Tibetan Studies at Sarnath as a co-organizer. However, despite our efforts we could not convince the later to join us for the Event. We got very positive response from our colleages here and that made us confident enough to organize the Event at BHU. In the meanwhile, Professor George van Driem had been motivating us for the BHU to say yes to his proposal. We could funally decide in 2011 to host the 18th Himalayan Languages Symposium at the Department of Linguistics, Banaras Hindu University. Keeping with the tradition and emerging trends in the area of linguistics research we invited research papers from researchers working on different aspects of language, culture, art, anthropology, archaeology and prehistory of the great Himalayan regions. We are happy that we received a very good response from the researchers from across several countries in the form of approximately eighty abstract submissions. Except only a few, the submissions were of a very high quality and reflected on ongoing research questions in contemporary linguistics. Besides, we have been very fortunate in getting supports and guidance from Professor George van Driem, Professor Uday Narayan Singh, and Professor Anvita Abbi in form of keynote and special lectures in their respective field of expersise. We are very fortunate in getting continuous and expert patronage from our Honorable Vice Chancellor Professor Lalji Singh, who has always encouraged and enlightened us by pointing out the interdisciplinary nature of linguistics research and the significant role that serious linguistics research can play in understanding genetics research. This is the culmination of a long discussion, waiting, and efforts and hence a big moment for us. Linguistic research in India has not fully percolated to all the parts of the country despite the fact that there have been genuine efforts at several times and Indian subcontinent exhibits a rich linguistic diversity. This linguistic diversity has a significant role in understanding and maintaining life-sustaining diversity across all aspects of human life including bio- and cultural- diversity. The Himalayan regions are not only a source of our ecology and environment but may also reflect upon our linguistic roots. A large number of researchers are working on different aspects of linguistics research in a very inter- and multi- disciplinary way on languages of the Himalayan regions. This is reflected in a number of research papers and volumes that not only touch but go very deep in the interdisciplinary issues such as languages and genes, language and (pre)history, culture, art and ecology, besides issues of grammar, structure and meanings. Language endangerment and language planning is another urgent issue that has a big relevance in relation to the languages of the Himalayan regions. The research papers to be presented during the three-day symposium will cover all these issues and enlighten us about both what is going on and what ought to be done in the area of Himalayan languages research. We thank all the guest speakers and delegate participants for their support and also bearing with our limitations. Anil Thakur Sanjukta Ghosh CONTENTS Keynote Address A Himalayan Task PROFESSOR UDAYA NARAYANA SINGH Special Lectures 1. Between the Himalayas and the Ganges: Ancient thoroughfare for the peopling of the Orient PROFESSOR GEORGE VAN DRIEM 2. Traces of prehistoric human language structure found in the Great Andamanese language PRPFESSOR ANVITA ABBI Research Papers: Presentation 1. A Preliminary Analysis of Tone in Lamjung Yolmo LAUREN GAWANE & AMOS TEO 2. Phylogenetic Analysis of a few Languages of Assam PRIYANKOO SARMAH, KALYAN DAS, PAMIR GAGOI, AMALESH GOPE, LUKE HORO 3. Asian ethnolinguistic population prehistory: Father tongues and lost lineages GEORGE VAN DRIEM 4. The Semantics of the Existential Verb as Aspectual Marker in Meche KAZUYUKI KIRYU 5. Classifier Expressions in Kashmiri: A Cognitive Grammar Approach ACHLA RAINA 6. On the limitation particle sha in Jingpo LINSHEN ZHANG 7. Four-way Spatial Cases and Deictic Verbs Distinction in Puma (Kiranti) NARAYAN SHARMA 8. Ethnoarchaeological Investigations among the Hill Karbis of Southern Kamrup, Assam MANJIL HAZARIKA 9. Properties of discontinuous NUM+CLF in Wa LARIN ADAMS 10. On the Phonological Forms of Prefixes in Jingpho KURABE KEITA 11. Transitivity Alternations and Causativisation in Shumcho CHRISTIAN HUBER 12. Internal Subgrouping of Tibeto-Kinnaur ANJU SAXENA, LARS BORIN 13. Hierarchical Verb Agreement in Hakhun Tangsa KRISHNA BORO 14. First Steps towards a Newaric Hypothesis BEN MULLER 15. Kinship Terminology of the Boro Language PRANITA DEVI 16. On split-ergativity in Nepali GUAN YU CHEN 17. Syntax-Pragmatics Interface: A Study of Secondary Agreement SANJUKTA GHOSH, ANIL THAKUR 18. Through and Beyond the Lexicon: A Semiotic Look at Nepal Sign Language Affiliation MIKE MORGAN 19. Sentence-final Particles in Dzolo Nàmùyì FUMINOBU NISHIDA 20. The “R” in Nusu: Approximant or Fricative? ELISSA IKEDA 21. What do Indian Languages have: DP or NP? DEEPAK ALOK, SRINIKET MISHRA 22. Deictic Space in Mizo - Interpretations in Discourse LALNUNTHANGI CHHANGTE 23. Linguistic Affinity between Siraji and Kashmiri: A Morphological perspective AADIL A KAK, FAROOQ A SHEIKH 24. Deictics in a Northern Dialect of Tamang TOM OWEN SMITH 25. SV – VS Alternation in Wa SENG MAI 26. Preliminary Description of Amri Karbi Phonology AMALESH GOPE, PRIYANKOO SARMAH 27. Linguistic Diversity in Nepal and its Perspective on Inclusive Language Policy YOGENDRA P YADAV 28. Nature and extent of endangerment in Lepcha SATRUPA DATTAMAJUMDAR 29. Raji Orthography Development KAVITA RASTOGI 30. The Ngari Group of Western Tibetan Dialects BETTINA ZEISLER 31. Determination of the Indeterminate Bare Noun in Karbi GAUTAM BORAH, RAUJLINE SIRAJ FARJINA AKHATAR 32. Verbal Suffixes in Inpui W PINKY DEVI 33. Phonological description of Saora and Mundari in Assam LUKE HORO 34. The prosody of contrastive focus in Bodo SHAKUNTALA MAHANTA, KALYAN DAS 35. Referential Hierarchies in the Kashmiri Languages SAARTJE VERBEKE 36. Language Use and Documentation of dPa’ ris Amdo Tibetan SHIHO EBIHARA 37. Spell Checker for Bodo: A Finite-State Automata Approach RAVIKUMAR RAGAM, BANEESSH N, SHANMUGAM R 38. Sounds and syllables in Koch dialect of Rabha PRIYANKOO SARMAH, KALYAN DAS 39. Digitizing Language with NLP tools and Technologies: An Overview of Nepali ATIUR RAHAMAN KHAN 40. Different functions of pu in Leinong Naga ESTHER WAYESHA 41. Compunding in Dimasa KH. DHIREN SINGHA 42. Lexicalization of Syntactic patterns BISHAKHA DAS 43. Distribution of Topic and Focus Particles in Meiteilon SANATOMBI DEVI 44. Phonological Description of Saora and Mundari in Assam LUKE HORO 45. Formation of Nominal Stems in Mising BABY DOLEY, BASANTA DOLEY 46. Khoibu Tone L BIJENKUMAR SINGH 47. Factors responsible for code-switching in Gulgulia SNEHA MISHRA 48. Semantics of Genitive Case in Nepali LAXI NATH KANDEL 49. Diminutives in Western Pahari Languages JC SHARMA 50. A Comprehensive Grammar of Aka SK BANERJEE 51. Negative Word Acts in Positive Mood: A Comparative Study between Bangla and Nepali RG DASTIDAR, S MUKHOPADHYAY 52. Manipuri Reflexive suffix -cə H SURMANGOL SHARMA 53. Wanchoo Language Field Notes SR SHARMA 54. Aspects of the Phonology of Himalayan Languages RAJNATH BHAT Key-Note Address A Himalayan Task UDAYA NARAYANA SINGH Visva-Bharati, Shantinikatan, India Keynote is about saying the