Circum-Baltic Languages Vol. 1: Past and Present, and Circum-Baltic Languages Vol

Western Washington University Western CEDAR

Modern & Classical Languages Humanities

6-2003 Review of: Circum-Baltic Languages Vol. 1: Past and Present, and Circum-Baltic Languages Vol. 2: Grammar and Typology Edward J. Vajda Western Washington University, [email protected]

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Recommended Citation Vajda, Edward J., "Review of: Circum-Baltic Languages Vol. 1: Past and Present, and Circum-Baltic Languages Vol. 2: Grammar and Typology" (2003). Modern & Classical Languages. 39. https://cedar.wwu.edu/mcl_facpubs/39

This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Humanities at Western CEDAR. It has been accepted for inclusion in Modern & Classical Languages by an authorized administrator of Western CEDAR. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 432 LANGUAGE, VOLUME 79, NUMBER 2 (2003) guese just differs (such as the behavior of clitics). which rely on internet-relay-chator instant messag- Anotherpositive aspect of this volume concerns the ing and which may develop their own rebus-likeab- micro-parametriclevel of variation;some papersdeal breviationsand jargon) or asynchronous(as in lists with (differences between) Europeanand Brazilian or discussion groups).C speculatesthat the rambling Portuguese,and one even with diachronicaspects of nature of some electronic conversation may have a work on the language. All in all, we're dealing with another role in creating community. He also cites and that great book in a very successful series. [KLEANTHES classroom conferencing suggests asynchronous in as a distinct K. GROHMANN, Universityof Cologne.] groups particularmay emerge discourse type. Ch. 6, 'The languages of virtual worlds' (171-94), describes the linguistic creativity Language and the internet: A linguist found in multi-userdimensions (MUDs and MOOs) looks at discourse on the internet. geared toward role-playing. These have an innova- By and also DAVID CRYSTAL. Cam- tive terminology(wizard, emote, gag, etc.) Cambridge: evince a rangeof stylistic options (sharinga tendency bridge University Press, 2001. Pp. 272. towardeconomy). Ch. 7, 'The language of the web' $23.00. (195-223), describes the linguistic features of web which include linear text, banners How is the internet affecting language? What pages interrupted and and C also discusses might be the end result? These are the questions popup pages, hyperlinks. the involved in searchissues and David Crystal addresses, developing the view that linguistic problems the growth and managementof the web, including the languageof the internet(what he calls Netspeak) its likely trend toward a more multilingual nature. is a new medium blending propertiesof speaking, Finally Ch. 8, 'The linguistic future of the internet' writing, and rapid electronic exchange. The book (224-42), deals with what comes next. Just as radio consists of eight chapters. Ch. 1, 'A linguistic per- yielded to television, changes in bandwidthand wire- spective' (1-23), establishessome relevantlinguistic less technology may see full screen text-basedcom- preliminariesincluding the features of language C munication supplantedby short screen variants. C sees as relevant (graphic,orthographic, grammatical, also suggests that specialized subject-relateddo- and and the web discourse, phonetic, phonological) mains will incubate furtherlanguage change. situationshe examines in later Ch. 'The chapters. 2, C writes accessibly to a general audience, and he mediumof considerswhether the Netspeak' (24-61), provides good descriptions of both linguistic con- of the internet is more akin to or language writing cepts and the various internetcommunication types. speech. C notes that email, chatgroups,and virtual His work here serves several roles. He dispels the worldsrely heavily on core propertiesof speech com- folk view that Netspeak is randomly sloppy lan- bined with graphic richness. C also includes some guage, highlightingfor the generalreader its creativ- discussion of Paul Grice's maxims and of how they ity and evolving nature.He documentsthe varietyof are underminedby such net practices as spoofing, Newspeak and its unique character.And he brings trolling, lurking, spamming,and flaming. together his own observations with discussion of Ch. 3, 'Finding an identity' (62-93), gives back- some of the linguisticresearch already done (by Lynn ground on prescriptive vs. descriptive approaches Cherny, Boyd Davis and Jeutonne Brewer, Susan and discusses internet style guides (such as Wired Herring,and others) to focus our thinking about the Style: Principles of English usage in the digital age, future of language on the internet. [EDWINBATTIS- by Constance Hale and Jessie Scanlon, New York: TELLA,Southern Oregon University.] BroadwayBooks, 1999). C also discusses the salient features of its and acro- Netspeak: unique jargon Circum-Baltic languages. Vol. 1: Past nyms, emoticons (such as :-( for sadness), shorthand and Ed. DAHL and abbreviationssuch as imo (in my opinion) and btw present. by iOSTEN (by the way), minimalist punctuation, and the MARIA KOPTJEVSKAJA-TAMM.(Studies suppressionof capitalletters. In Ch. 4, 'The language in language companionseries 54.) Am- of e-mail' (94-128), C discusses such structuralele- sterdam & Philadelphia: John Benja- ments of email as messages headers, salutations, mins, 2001. Pp. xx, 382. $130.00. message length, typing errors, paragraphstructure and length, the message within a message technique, Circum-Baltic languages. Vol. 2: Gram- and the practice of framing answers by cutting and mar and typology. Ed. by OSTENDAHL pasting from other messages. C also provides further and MARIA KOPTJEVSKAJA-TAMM. discussion of email style in relation to the prescrip- in series and to business communication. (Studies language companion tive tradition Amsterdam& John In Ch. 5, 'The of (129-70), 55.) Philadelphia: language chatgroups' 423. C considers the language of multiparticipantelec- Benjamins,2001. Pp. xx, $140.00. tronic forums--chatgroups, newsgroups, and lists. These twin volumes grew out of a six-year re- The discourse may be synchronous(as in chatrooms search programentitled 'Languagetypology around

This content downloaded from 140.160.178.168 on Fri, 16 May 2014 16:38:33 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions BOOK NOTICES 433 the Baltic Sea', sponsoredby the Facultyof Humani- specific phonological, morphological, or syntactic ties at Stockholm University and directedby one of features that developed in a single language due to the editors (Maria Koptjevskaja-Tamm).They seek contact or have come to be sharedby more than one to unite the broadsweep characteristicof typological language. Many focus on typologically interesting inquiries with the finer-grained detail typical of featuresof the languagesunder consideration. These language contact studies. While K-T concedes include passive and impersonalconstructions in Bal- that Circum-Baltic (CB) languages are not a true tic and Finnic (363-90, Axel Holvoet), nominative Sprachbund,she emphasizes that the contact situa- objects in East Baltic (391-412, VYTAUTASAMBRA- in northeastern tion Europehas never been assessed ZAS),Latvian and Livonianverbal particles (413-42, because the holistically languagesspoken therehave BERNHARDWALCHLI), Estonian verb aspect (443-80, traditionallybeen the domain of separatedisciplines HELLEMETSLANG), Latvian and Estonian nominal founded on lines. facets of the histori- genetic Many morphosyntax(481-98, BAIBAMETUZALE-KANGERE cal interaction between the CB Germanic, Baltic, and KERSTIBOIKO), and the Baltic and Finnic geni- and Finnic have Slavic, languages therefore never tive (499-520, SIMONCHRISTEN). MARIA KOPTJEV- received the attention deserve. they SKAJA-TAMMdiscusses partitiveand pseudo-partitive Vol. I individual CB from a surveys languages nominalconstructions (523-68), LEONSTASSEN non- historical perspective, with attentionto dia- special verbal predication(569-90), and THOMASSTOLZ in- lects and minor geographically language forms strumentalsand comitatives (591-612). which exhibit some of the most contact- interesting The unifying gem of this collection is the masterful inducedfeatures. Chapters by LAIMUTEBALODE and synthesis by Maria Koptjevskaja-Tammand Bern- AXELHOLVOET cover Latvian(3-40) and Lithuanian hardWilchli (615-750). Ratherthan a Sprachbund, (41-80); VALERIYCEKMONAS discusses contactphe- the authorsview the CB areaas a 'contactsuperposi- nomena involving the ruralRussian dialects of Old tion zone' formedby a series of overlappinglinguis- Believers in the Baltic duringTsarist times (81-100) tic influences sponsored by several competing and nineteenth-centuryRussian as spokenin Tallinn, centers (Viking, German, Polish-Lithuanian,Rus- Riga, and Vilnius (101-36). ANNE-CHARLOTTEREN- sian), none of which ever fully dominatedthe entire DAHLexamines Swedish dialects of the Baltic littoral, territory.This led to an interfacebetween 'Standard including the once substantial Livonian Swedish Average European'and Central Eurasianlanguage population(137-78). JOHANNALAAKSO surveys Fin- types as well as to partialconvergence involving a nic languages (179-212). These articles mainly host of structuralelements between these focus on typological featuresof special significance diagnostic various centers of influence and the individual CB for language contact and dialect genesis. The CB area also turnsout to be interme- OSTENDAHL'S 'The origin of the Scandinavian languages. diate in terms of Nichols's vs. 'residual' languages' (215-35) gathers evidence to argue that 'spread' zones in time Danish influence beginning in late Roman times ho- (JohannaNichols, Language diversity and & London: of mogenized previously differentiatedlocal Germanic space, Chicago University Chi- since the Baltic Sea was dialects across Scandinavia by circa 600 AD. To cago Press, 1992), only a to and drive this point home, the conclusion of D's convinc- partialimpediment language spread homoge- nization. This article closes with a table ing proposalis subtitled'Why do Swedes speakDan- listing CB areal their ish?' (231). The prevailing hypothesis hitherto was features, typological frequencyin the rest of and and their that the small, scatteredNordic settlements in pre- Europe globally, probable origins Viking times somehow managed to maintainstrong (729-31). linguistic unity over several centuriesdespite desul- Vol. 2 also containstwo immensely useful appen- tory mutual contact. dices-one referencingthe individuallanguage con- Other entries explore specific contact situations. tacts to their mention elsewhere in the volumes LARS-GUNNARLARSSON investigates Baltic contact (751-53) andthe othercomprising a complete listing features in Finnic (237-53). STEFANM. PUGHex- of CB crosslinguisticphenomena with plausible his- ploresthe role of contactin the formationof Karelian torical explanations(754-60). The introductionand (257-70). EvA AGNESCSAT6's 'Syntactic code- indexes repeatin both volumes while the pagination copying in Karaim'(271-83) discusses northernEu- of the contributingarticles is continuous. rope's only long-establishedTurkic speech commu- Despite occasional misprints(Russian speakersin nity, with 200 speakersin Lithuania.There are also Lithuaniain 1989 are given on p. 41 as 98.3% rather articles on Baltic forms of Yiddish both past and than 9.83%), not unexpectedin a work of this com- present (285-311, NEILG. JACOBS),North Russian plexity, the study succeeds in providinga fundamen- Romani (313-37, ALEKSANDRYU. RUSAKOV),and tal yet fine-grainedlinguistic profile of northeastern CB features in Pskov-Novgorod Russian (339-59, Europefrom both a cultural/historicand a typological Valeriy Cekmonas). perspective. [EDWARD J. VAJDA, Western Washing- Most of the articlesin the second volume deal with ton University.]

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