Trees, Waves and Linkages: Models of Language Diversification Alexandre François
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Alignment Mouth Demonstrations in Sign Languages Donna Jo Napoli
Mouth corners in sign languages Alignment mouth demonstrations in sign languages Donna Jo Napoli, Swarthmore College, [email protected] Corresponding Author Ronice Quadros, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, [email protected] Christian Rathmann, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, [email protected] 1 Mouth corners in sign languages Alignment mouth demonstrations in sign languages Abstract: Non-manual articulations in sign languages range from being semantically impoverished to semantically rich, and from being independent of manual articulations to coordinated with them. But, while this range has been well noted, certain non-manuals remain understudied. Of particular interest to us are non-manual articulations coordinated with manual articulations, which, when considered in conjunction with those manual articulations, are semantically rich. In which ways can such different articulators coordinate and what is the linguistic effect or purpose of such coordination? Of the non-manual articulators, the mouth is articulatorily the most versatile. We therefore examined mouth articulations in a single narrative told in the sign languages of America, Brazil, and Germany. We observed optional articulations of the corners of the lips that align with manual articulations spatially and temporally in classifier constructions. The lips, thus, enhance the message by giving redundant information, which should be particularly useful in narratives for children. Examination of a single children’s narrative told in these same three sign languages plus six other sign languages yielded examples of one type of these optional alignment articulations, confirming our expectations. Our findings are coherent with linguistic findings regarding phonological enhancement and overspecification. Keywords: sign languages, non-manual articulation, mouth articulation, hand-mouth coordination 2 Mouth corners in sign languages Alignment mouth demonstration articulations in sign languages 1. -
THE INDO-EUROPEAN FAMILY — the LINGUISTIC EVIDENCE by Brian D
THE INDO-EUROPEAN FAMILY — THE LINGUISTIC EVIDENCE by Brian D. Joseph, The Ohio State University 0. Introduction A stunning result of linguistic research in the 19th century was the recognition that some languages show correspondences of form that cannot be due to chance convergences, to borrowing among the languages involved, or to universal characteristics of human language, and that such correspondences therefore can only be the result of the languages in question having sprung from a common source language in the past. Such languages are said to be “related” (more specifically, “genetically related”, though “genetic” here does not have any connection to the term referring to a biological genetic relationship) and to belong to a “language family”. It can therefore be convenient to model such linguistic genetic relationships via a “family tree”, showing the genealogy of the languages claimed to be related. For example, in the model below, all the languages B through I in the tree are related as members of the same family; if they were not related, they would not all descend from the same original language A. In such a schema, A is the “proto-language”, the starting point for the family, and B, C, and D are “offspring” (often referred to as “daughter languages”); B, C, and D are thus “siblings” (often referred to as “sister languages”), and each represents a separate “branch” of the family tree. B and C, in turn, are starting points for other offspring languages, E, F, and G, and H and I, respectively. Thus B stands in the same relationship to E, F, and G as A does to B, C, and D. -
《International Symposium》 Let's Talk About Trees National Museum
《International Symposium》 Let’s Talk about Trees National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan. February 10, 2013 Abstract [Austronesian Language Case Studies 2] Limitations of the tree model: A case study from North Vanuatu Siva KALYAN1 and Alexandre FRANÇOIS2 1. Northumbria University 2. CNRS/LACITO Since the beginnings of historical linguistics, the family tree has been the most widely accepted model for representing historical relations between languages. It is even being reinvigorated by current research in computational phylogenetics (e.g. Gray et al. 2009). While this sort of representation is certainly easy to grasp, and allows for a simple, attractive account of the development of a language family, the assumptions made by the tree model are applicable in only a small number of cases. The tree model is appropriate when a speaker population undergoes successive splits, with subsequent loss of contact among subgroups. For all other scenarios, it fails to provide an accurate representation of language history (cf. Durie & Ross 1996; Pawley 1999; Heggarty et al. 2010). In particular, it is unable to deal with dialect continua, as well as language families that develop out of dialect continua (for which Ross 1988 has proposed the term "linkage"). In such cases, the scopes of innovations (in other words, their isoglosses) are not nested, but rather they persistently intersect, so that any proposed tree representation is met with abundant counterexamples. Though Ross's initial observations about linkages concerned the languages of Western Melanesia, it is clear that linkages are found in many other areas as well (such as Fiji: cf. Geraghty 1983). In this presentation, we focus on the 17 languages of the Torres and Banks islands in Vanuatu, which form a linkage (Tryon 1996, François 2011), and attempt to develop adequate representations for it. -
Lecture 5 Sound Change
An articulatory theory of sound change An articulatory theory of sound change Hypothesis: Most common initial motivation for sound change is the automation of production. Tokens reduced online, are perceived as reduced and represented in the exemplar cluster as reduced. Therefore we expect sound changes to reflect a decrease in gestural magnitude and an increase in gestural overlap. What are some ways to test the articulatory model? The theory makes predictions about what is a possible sound change. These predictions could be tested on a cross-linguistic database. Sound changes that take place in the languages of the world are very similar (Blevins 2004, Bateman 2000, Hajek 1997, Greenberg et al. 1978). We should consider both common and rare changes and try to explain both. Common and rare changes might have different characteristics. Among the properties we could look for are types of phonetic motivation, types of lexical diffusion, gradualness, conditioning environment and resulting segments. Common vs. rare sound change? We need a database that allows us to test hypotheses concerning what types of changes are common and what types are not. A database of sound changes? Most sound changes have occurred in undocumented periods so that we have no record of them. Even in cases with written records, the phonetic interpretation may be unclear. Only a small number of languages have historic records. So any sample of known sound changes would be biased towards those languages. A database of sound changes? Sound changes are known only for some languages of the world: Languages with written histories. Sound changes can be reconstructed by comparing related languages. -
Use of Theses
THESES SIS/LIBRARY TELEPHONE: +61 2 6125 4631 R.G. MENZIES LIBRARY BUILDING NO:2 FACSIMILE: +61 2 6125 4063 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY EMAIL: [email protected] CANBERRA ACT 0200 AUSTRALIA USE OF THESES This copy is supplied for purposes of private study and research only. Passages from the thesis may not be copied or closely paraphrased without the written consent of the author. Language in a Fijian Village An Ethnolinguistic Study Annette Schmidt A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the Australian National University. September 1988 ABSTRACT This thesis investigates sociolinguistic variation in the Fijian village of Waitabu. The aim is to investigate how particular uses, functions and varieties of language relate to social patterns and modes of interaction. ·The investigation focuses on the various ways of speaking which characterise the Waitabu repertoire, and attempts to explicate basic sociolinguistic principles and norms for contextually appropriate behaviour.The general purpose is to explicate what the outsider needs to know to communicate appropriately in Waitabu community. Chapter one discusses relevant literature and the theoretical perspective of the thesis. I also detail the fieldwork setting, problems and restrictions, and thesis plan. Chapter two provides the necessary background information to this study, describing the geographical, demographical and sociohistorical setting. Description is given of the contemporary language situation, structure of Fijian (Bouma dialect), and Waitabu social structure and organisation. In Chapter 3, the kinship system which lies at the heart of Waitabu social organisation, and kin-based sociolinguistic roles are analysed. This chapter gives detailed description of the kin categories and the established modes of sociolinguistic behaviour which are associated with various kin-based social identities. -
Species Tree Likelihood Computation Given SNP Data Using Ancestral Configurations
Species Tree Likelihood Computation Given SNP Data Using Ancestral Configurations DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Hang Fan, M.S. Graduate Program in Statistics The Ohio State University 2013 Dissertation Committee: Professor Laura Kubatko, Advisor Professor Bryan Carstens Professor Radu Herbei 1 Copyright by Hang Fan 2013 2 Abstract Inferring species trees given genetic data has been a challenge in the field of phylogenetics because of the high intensity during computation. In the coalescent framework, this dissertation proposes an innovative method of estimating the likelihood of a species tree directly from Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) data with a certain nucleotide substitution model. This method uses the idea of Ancestral Configurations (Wu, 2011) to avoid the computation burden brought by the enumeration of coalescent histories. Importance sampling is used to in Monte Carlo integration to approximate the expectations in the computation, where the accuracy of the approximation is tested in different tree models. The SNP data is processed beforehand which vastly boosts the efficiency of the method. Gene tree sampling given the species tree under the coalescent model is employed to make the computation feasible for large trees. Further, the branch lengths on the species tree are optimized according to the computed species tree likelihood, which provides the likelihood of the species tree topology given the SNP data. For inference, this likelihood computation method is implemented in the stepwise addition algorithm to infer the maximum likelihood species tree in the tree space given the SNP data, and simulations are conduced to test the performance. -
EVOLUTIONARY INFERENCE: Some Basics of Phylogenetic Analyses
EVOLUTIONARY INFERENCE: Some basics of phylogenetic analyses. Ana Rojas Mendoza CNIO-Madrid-Spain. Alfonso Valencia’s lab. Aims of this talk: • 1.To introduce relevant concepts of evolution to practice phylogenetic inference from molecular data. • 2.To introduce some of the most useful methods and computer programmes to practice phylogenetic inference. • • 3.To show some examples I’ve worked in. SOME BASICS 11--ConceptsConcepts ofof MolecularMolecular EvolutionEvolution • Homology vs Analogy. • Homology vs similarity. • Ortologous vs Paralogous genes. • Species tree vs genes tree. • Molecular clock. • Allele mutation vs allele substitution. • Rates of allele substitution. • Neutral theory of evolution. SOME BASICS Owen’s definition of homology Richard Owen, 1843 • Homologue: the same organ under every variety of form and function (true or essential correspondence). •Analogy: superficial or misleading similarity. SOME BASICS 1.Concepts1.Concepts ofof MolecularMolecular EvolutionEvolution • Homology vs Analogy. • Homology vs similarity. • Ortologous vs Paralogous genes. • Species tree vs genes tree. • Molecular clock. • Allele mutation vs allele substitution. • Rates of allele substitution. • Neutral theory of evolution. SOME BASICS Similarity ≠ Homology • Similarity: mathematical concept . Homology: biological concept Common Ancestry!!! SOME BASICS 1.Concepts1.Concepts ofof MolecularMolecular EvolutionEvolution • Homology vs Analogy. • Homology vs similarity. • Ortologous vs Paralogous genes. • Species tree vs genes tree. • Molecular clock. -
The Probability of Monophyly of a Sample of Gene Lineages on a Species Tree
PAPER The probability of monophyly of a sample of gene COLLOQUIUM lineages on a species tree Rohan S. Mehtaa,1, David Bryantb, and Noah A. Rosenberga aDepartment of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305; and bDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand Edited by John C. Avise, University of California, Irvine, CA, and approved April 18, 2016 (received for review February 5, 2016) Monophyletic groups—groups that consist of all of the descendants loci that are reciprocally monophyletic is informative about the of a most recent common ancestor—arise naturally as a conse- time since species divergence and can assist in representing the quence of descent processes that result in meaningful distinctions level of differentiation between groups (4, 18). between organisms. Aspects of monophyly are therefore central to Many empirical investigations of genealogical phenomena have fields that examine and use genealogical descent. In particular, stud- made use of conceptual and statistical properties of monophyly ies in conservation genetics, phylogeography, population genetics, (19). Comparisons of observed monophyly levels to model pre- species delimitation, and systematics can all make use of mathemat- dictions have been used to provide information about species di- ical predictions under evolutionary models about features of mono- vergence times (20, 21). Model-based monophyly computations phyly. One important calculation, the probability that a set of gene have been used alongside DNA sequence differences between and lineages is monophyletic under a two-species neutral coalescent within proposed clades to argue for the existence of the clades model, has been used in many studies. Here, we extend this calcu- (22), and tests involving reciprocal monophyly have been used to lation for a species tree model that contains arbitrarily many species. -
Language and Geometry a Method for Comparing the Genealogical and Structural Relatedness Between Pairs of European Languages
4 Journal for EuroLinguistiX 11 (2014): 4-13 Jacques François Language and Geometry A Method for Comparing the Genealogical and Structural Relatedness between Pairs of European Languages Abstract In the second half of 19th century, two German linguists, August Schleicher and Johannes Schmidt, worked out a method of genealogical comparison of the Indo-European languages which crucially rested on inflectional morphology and phonology (so-called Stammbaum hypothesis by Schleicher) supplemented by wave-like spreading (so-called wave-hypothesis by Schmidt) of such properties amongst geographically neighbouring languages. First, this method is applied to four European languages: Dutch, English, French and German. Next, a list of 18 structural properties of the four languages is collected in order to assess the structural relatedness of each pair of languages. The two resulting charts turn out to be similar concerning the proximity between Dutch vs. German, but quite disparate concerning the latter vs. English and French. The structural chart is insightful, but weighting the collected structural properties (on the basis of criteria to be justified) might generate a differently shaped chart. Sommaire Dans la seconde moitié du 19e siècle, deux linguistes allemands, August Schleicher et Johannes Schmidt, ont élaboré une méthode de comparaison généalogique des langues indo-européennes essentiellement basée sur la morphologie flexionnelle et la phonologie (hypothèse du Stammbaum de Schleicher) complétée par une dissémination ‘ondulatoire’ (hypothèse de Schmidt) de propriétés de ce type entre des langues géographiquement voisines. En premier lieu, cette méthode est appliquée à quatre langues européennes : allemand, anglais, français et néerlandais. Ensuite, une liste de 18 propriétés structurales des quatre langues est établie afin de mesurer la proximité structurale entre celles-ci. -
The Geography and History of *R-Loss in Southern Oceanic Languages Alexandre François
Where *R they all? The Geography and History of *R-loss in Southern Oceanic Languages Alexandre François To cite this version: Alexandre François. Where *R they all? The Geography and History of *R-loss in Southern Oceanic Languages. Oceanic Linguistics, University of Hawai’i Press, 2011, 50 (1), pp.140 - 197. 10.1353/ol.2011.0009. hal-01137686 HAL Id: hal-01137686 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01137686 Submitted on 17 Oct 2016 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Where *R they all? The Geography and History of *R-loss in Southern Oceanic Languages Alexandre François LANGUES ET CIVILISATIONS À TRADITION ORALE (CNRS), PARIS, AND AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY Some twenty years ago, Paul Geraghty offered a large-scale survey of the retention and loss of Proto-Oceanic *R across Eastern Oceanic languages, and concluded that *R was “lost in proportion to distance from Western Oceanic.” This paper aims at testing Geraghty’s hypothesis based on a larger body of data now available, with a primary focus on a tightly knit set of languages spoken in Vanuatu. By observing the dialectology of individual lexical items in this region, I show that the boundaries between languages retaining vs. -
La Filología, La Lingüística Y Las Leyes De La Evolución
Ennis, Juan Antonio La filología, la lingüística y las leyes de la evolución. Curtius y Brugmann, lindes y deslindes Revista argentina de historiografía lingüística 2018, vol. 10, nro. 2, p. 93-105 Ennis, J. (2018). La filología, la lingüística y las leyes de la evolución. Curtius y Brugmann, lindes y deslindes. Revista argentina de historiografía lingüística, 10 (2), 93-105. En Memoria Académica. Disponible en: http://www.memoria.fahce.unlp.edu.ar/art_revistas/pr.11606/pr.11606.pdf Información adicional en www.memoria.fahce.unlp.edu.ar Esta obra está bajo una Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Revista argentina de historiografía lingüística, X, 2, 93-105, 2018 La filología, la lingüística y las leyes de la evolución. Curtius y Brugmann, lindes y deslindes Philology, linguistics and the laws of evolution. Curtius and Brugmann, boundaries and demarcations Juan Antonio Ennis∗ IdIHCS, UNLP-CONICET Abstract In this paper we provide an introduction to the two German texts translated for this issue of RAHL. These are two interventions by Georg Curtius and Karl Brugmann, dated in 1862 and 1885 respectively, both devoted to dealing with the complex relationship between philology and linguistics. To do so, we first sketch a review of different features of the discussion on the relationship between both disciplines throughout the 19th century in the German-speaking academic space. Then, we present some basic issues that should contribute to situate the texts in their own context. Key words: Georg Curtius, Karl Brugmann, Philology, Linguistics, Neogrammarians. Resumen Se ofrece aquí una introducción a los dos textos cuya traducción se ofrece en este mismo número, sendas intervenciones de Georg Curtius y Karl Brugmann sobre la relación entre la filología y la lingüística, de 1862 y 1885 respectivamente. -
UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations
UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Iranian Dialectology and Dialectometry Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5pv6f9g9 Author Cathcart, Chundra Aroor Publication Date 2015 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Iranian Dialectology and Dialectometry By Chundra Aroor Cathcart A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Andrew J. Garrett, Chair Professor Gary B. Holland Professor Martin Schwartz Spring 2015 Abstract Studies in Iranian Dialectology and Dialectometry by Chundra Aroor Cathcart Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics University of California, Berkeley Professor Andrew Garrett, Chair This dissertation investigates the forces at work in the formation of a tightly knit but ultimately non-genetic dialect group. The Iranian languages, a genetic sub-branch of the larger Indo-European language family, are a group whose development has been profoundly affected by millennia of internal contact. This work is concerned with aspects of the diversification and disparification (i.e., the development of different versus near-identical features across languages) of this group of languages, namely issues pertaining to the development of the so-called West Iranian group, whose status as a legitimate genetic subgroup has long remained unclear. To address the phenomena under study, I combine a traditional comparative-historical approach with existing quantitative methods as well as newly developed quantitative methods designed to deal with the sort of linguistic situation that Iranian typifies. The studies I undertake support the idea that West Iranian is not a genetic subgroup, as sometimes assumed; instead, similarities between West Iranian languages that give the impression of close genetic relatedness have come about due to interactions between contact and parallel driftlike tendencies.