LIN 610 - Language Universals and Typology

Language Universals and Typology LIN 610 - Fall 2007 M 4:40 - 7:30 pm: 86925 Instructor: Elly van Gelderen [email protected] and voice-mail: 480 965 2563 http://www.public.asu.edu/~gelderen/elly.htm

Aims (a) to clarify the different definitions of linguistic `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, polysynthesis and ergativity, (d) to discuss the relationship to language change, and (e) to try to put the topics in a framework of the Linguistics Cycle

Methods: We start by looking at what typology is, and when/why it became `popular'. Then, we'll catalogue some typological generalizations. After that, we will examine a number of issues in different language families (the topics are up to the interests of you). You will be expected to read the required reading each week and formulate questions about these. Five homework assignments will consolidate some of the otherwise diverse material. Students will be asked to pick one language for these assignments (that is a lesser known language) and stick with it for the five assignments. The final paper could come out of the assignments, in which case it should be 15-18 pages in length. It could also focus on either a language universal or an issue in a particular language family or in language change that we haven’t discussed in class. In that case it can be 10-12 pages.

Evaluation: This may be slightly modified (with the approval of the students) depending on class size: Five assignments at 25 points each. One research paper worth 75 points. In week 10, a first draft of the paper is due and the final paper is due in week 14. Points will be converted into a grade as follows: 200 - 195: A+, 194 - 187: A, 186 - 180: A-, 179 - 175: B+, 174 - 167: B, 166 - 160: B-, 159 - 155: C+, 154 - 140: C, 139 - 120: D, 119 - 0: E.

Required texts: Whaley, Lindsay 1997. Introduction to Typology. Sage Publications Articles made available by the instructor on `Blackboard'. Electronic Resources: - www.sil.org/ethnologue: has data on 6703 languages (paper version is good too: 15th ed.) - http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fss/organisations/alt/: the homepage of the Association for Linguistic Typology with a really good bibliography by F. Plank! - There is a project on agreement at: www.surrey.ac.uk/LIS/SMG/projects/agreement/agreement_bib.html - on endangered languages: www.mpi.nl/LAN - And on tense and aspect at: www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~binnick/TENSE

Journals: Studies in Language Linguistic Typology: first appeared in 1997 Sprachtypologie und Universalienforschung articles are in English. (STUF)

Book series: Benjamins has a typological series (Studies in Language Companion Series), Mouton de Gruyter has too (Empirical Approaches to Language Typology) and so does Akademie Verlag (Studia typological). Lincom Europa in München publishes (short) grammars of little known languages (http://www.lincom.at/homepage.htm) Audio language tapes on many languages are available from audio-forum.

Additional paper topics (these are left very open, but need to be narrowed): 1. Tense and aspect cross-linguistically 2. Ergativity 3. Do Creoles have a special typology (McWhorter in LT 2001) 4. Are typological/structural similarities connected to geographic areas? (e.g. the distribution of 1/2 ps pronouns, Nichols 1992) 5. Possession (have or be or …) 6. Negation (P. Ramat book) 7. DPs and the article cycle 8. Subject-Verb agreement (or object-verb agreement) 9. Perception verbs (e.g. Viberg 1983) 10. Superraising (e.g. Ura 1994)

References There is an excellent (28 page) reading list available at: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fss/organisations/alt/sylplank.htm There is a good `dictionary’ of linguistic terms at: http://urts120.uni-trier.de/glottopedia/index.php/Category:DICT Fall 2007 – Typology – Elly van Gelderen

Tentative schedule

Week 1 20 Aug: Introduction: What is `typology', definitions of `typology', the difference between genetic, areal, and typological classifications, and typology in the different linguistic frameworks. Resources, and Organization: maps from Lyovin 1997; Ethnologue; Universals of sounds. O’Grady.

Week 2 27 Aug: More intro, history, and methods; Lexical and Functional Categories. Read Whaley chap 1-4; Baker 2001 preface. Additional reading on category change: Verbs/light verbs/auxiliaries: Hopper & Traugott (1993: 108-112); van Gelderen (2004: 119-131).

Week 3 3 Sept Labor Day: NO CLASS

5 Sept HW #1 is due Wed 5 September. Select a language that you will be working on. Explain why you picked it, define it genetically and areally. List some of the grammars/texts that are available.

TOPICS: Week 4 10 Sept: Syntax. Whaley chap 5-6; Greenberg (1963: 73-113): "Some Universals of Grammar with Particular Reference to the Order of Meaningful Elements". Additional reading on word order: Dryer (1992); Kayne (1994).

Week 5 17 Sept: Morphological classification. Whaley chap 7-8; Sapir (1921: chap 6); Hodge (1970); van Gelderen (2005); Plank (1999). HW #2 is due.

Week 6 25 Sept: NO CLASS

Week 7 1 Oct: Case and Agreement. Whaley chap 9-10; Comrie (1981: 117-130); Lehmann (1988: 55-65). Ergativity. Dixon (1994: 1-22). Pronominal Argument Languages and Non-Configurationality. Baker 2001; van Gelderen 2004; Givon (1976).

Week 8 8 Oct: Pronouns, demonstratives, and reflexives, and The DP-Cycle. Reread Whaley chapter 10; Ingram (1978); Faltz 1985; van Gelderen (2007). HW #3 is due. Week 9 15 Oct: Review and Clauses. Subordinate and coordinate clauses: Whaley chap 15-16; Comrie (1981: chap 7).

Week 10 22 Oct: Tense, Mood, and Aspect: Whaley chap 12-13; Vendler (1957); Hopper (1979); Comrie (1985: chap 1); Comrie (1976: 16-51); Malotki (1983); Reichenbach (1947). HW #4 is due.

Week 11 29 Oct: Negation. Payne (1985); van Gelderen (2007); Croft (1991).

Week 12 5 Nov: Possessives, existentials, locatives: have vs be. Freeze (1992); Kayne (1993); Clark (1978); Coene & d’Hulst (2003); Herslund & Baron (2001). Draft of research paper is due.

Week 13 12 Nov Veterans' Day - No Class (and NO extra class on 15 Nov as initially planned)

Week 14 19 Nov: Valency and Subject vs topic. Whaley chap11, Keenan (1985), Nichols et al (2004); Aikhenwald et al (2001), Li & Thompson (1976). Research paper is due

Week 15 26 Nov: Review of all topics/articles. Baker (2001: chaps 6-7). Start of The ASU Typology Workshop.

Week 16 3 Dec: Continuation of The ASU Typology Workshop. Papers will be returned then too.