Loanword Typology Verbal Borrowings Jan WOHLGEMUTH Max Planck
Loanword Typology: Verbal Borrowings Jan WOHLGEMUTH Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Basic goal: contribute to improving the methodology for testing hypotheses about historical relatedness between languages
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l l Basic goal: contribute to improving the methodology for testing hypotheses about historical relatedness between languages Means: systematic studies of attested diachronic changes in languages worldwide: typology of language change
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l l Basic goal: contribute to improving the methodology for testing hypotheses about historical relatedness between languages Means: systematic studies of attested diachronic changes in languages worldwide: typology of language change – – Paths of change Rates of change Degree of stability of grammatical and lexical items Effects of language contact
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Two projects in Leipzig:
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Two projects in Leipzig: – Handbook of Sound Change (Juliette Blevins)
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Two projects in Leipzig: – – Handbook of Sound Change (Juliette Blevins) Handbook of Lexical Borrowing (Martin Haspelmath & Uri Tadmor)
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Handbook of Lexical Borrowing (Martin Haspelmath & Uri Tadmor) Basic questions: – What kinds of borrowings are common, what kinds are unusual? Under what circumstances? – What is the direction of borrowing?
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Degree of lexical borrowability – Which word meanings are likely to be borrowed, and which are likely to resist borrowing?
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Degree of lexical borrowability – – Which word meanings are likely to be borrowed, and which are likely to resist borrowing? Thomason & Kaufman (1988: 77): “With a minimum of cultural pressure we expect only lexical borrowing, and then only nonbasic vocabulary. ”
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Degree of lexical borrowability – – Which word meanings are likely to be borrowed, and which are likely to resist borrowing? Thomason & Kaufman (1988: 77): “With a minimum of cultural pressure we expect only lexical borrowing, and then only nonbasic vocabulary. ” Borrowing of basic vocabulary starts with (3) on the borrowing scale:
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Degree of lexical borrowability – – Which word meanings are likely to be borrowed, and which are likely to resist borrowing? Thomason & Kaufman (1988: 77): “With a minimum of cultural pressure we expect only lexical borrowing, and then only nonbasic vocabulary. ” Borrowing of basic vocabulary starts with (3) on the borrowing scale: (1) Casual contact; (2) slightly more intensive contact: (3) more intense contact; (4) strong cultural pressure: (5) very strong cultural pressure
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Degree of lexical borrowability “basic vocabulary” intentionally left undefined by Thomason & Kaufman.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Degree of lexical borrowability “basic vocabulary” intentionally left undefined by Thomason & Kaufman. Often defined as the list of “basic” words by Swadesh.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Degree of lexical borrowability “basic vocabulary” intentionally left undefined by Thomason & Kaufman. Often defined as the list of “basic” words by Swadesh’s list is based on intuitions, not on any systematic research.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Degree of lexical borrowability “basic vocabulary” intentionally left undefined by Thomason & Kaufman. Often defined as the list of “basic” words by Swadesh’s list is based on intuitions, not on any systematic research. Lexical borrowability needs to be studied empirically in a systematic fashion using a worldwide sample of languages,
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Implementation – Study based on a fixed list of lexical meanings.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Implementation – Study based on a fixed list of lexical meanings. l An adapted version of the 1300 -word list of the Intercontinental Dictionaries Series (IDS), based on Buck 1949.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Implementation – Study based on a fixed list of lexical meanings. l – An adapted version of the 1300 -word list of the Intercontinental Dictionaries Series (IDS), based on Buck 1949. Comparison across a wide range of languages. l Over 30 languages from all continents, each covered by one contributor, who will create a data set and a discussion chapter
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Implementation – Study based on a fixed list of lexical meanings. l – An adapted version of the 1300 -word list of the Intercontinental Dictionaries Series (IDS), based on Buck 1949. Comparison across a wide range of languages. l Over 30 languages from all continents, each covered by one contributor, who will create a data set and a discussion chapter; e. g. Christopher Schmidt: Japanese
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Implementation – Study based on a fixed list of lexical meanings. l – An adapted version of the 1300 -word list of the Intercontinental Dictionaries Series (IDS), based on Buck 1949. Comparison across a wide range of languages. l l Over 30 languages from all continents, each covered by one contributor, who will create a data set and a discussion chapter; e. g. Christopher Schmidt: Japanese Each data set will identify each word as borrowed or not borrowed, giving the source language if applicable.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Planned results – For each lexical meaning, the cross-linguistic percentage of loanwords will be established. The ranking yields a list from the most resistant to the most borrowable of the ca. 1300 meanings.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Planned results – – For each lexical meaning, the cross-linguistic percentage of loanwords will be established. The ranking yields a list from the most resistant to the most borrowable of the ca. 1300 meanings. If the sample is representative, this ranking may indicate a structural universal of borrowing.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Planned results – – – For each lexical meaning, the cross-linguistic percentage of loanwords will be established. The ranking yields a list from the most resistant to the most borrowable of the ca. 1300 meanings. If the sample is representative, this ranking may indicate a structural universal of borrowing. Influence of degree of contact as well as structural properties of the recipient languages on the types of word borrowed can be tested for.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Planned results (cont’d) – Further generalizations from the literature can be tested, e. g. :
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Planned results (cont’d) – Further generalizations from the literature can be tested, e. g. : l “The most frequent lexical items are more resistant to [being replaced by a] borrowing than the rarer items. ”
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Planned results (cont’d) – Further generalizations from the literature can be tested, e. g. : l l “The most frequent lexical items are more resistant to [being replaced by a] borrowing than the rarer items. ” “Content words are more easily borrowed than function words. ”
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Planned results (cont’d) – Further generalizations from the literature can be tested, e. g. : l l l “The most frequent lexical items are more resistant to [being replaced by a] borrowing than the rarer items. ” “Content words are more easily borrowed than function words. ” “Different parts of speech show different susceptibility to borrowing (e. g. verbs are more resistant to b. )”
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project l Planned results (cont’d) – Further generalizations from the literature can be tested, e. g. : l l l “The most frequent lexical items are more resistant to [being replaced by a] borrowing than the rarer items. ” “Content words are more easily borrowed than function words. ” “Different parts of speech show different susceptibility to borrowing (e. g. verbs are more resistant to b. )”. . . to what extent?
Verbal borrowings l Objective:
Verbal borrowings l Objective: – A typology of verbal borrowing patterns
Verbal borrowings l Objective: – – A typology of verbal borrowing patterns A typology of social, grammatical and lexical parameters affecting the borrowability of verbs
Verbal borrowings l The database:
Verbal borrowings l The database: – Filemaker™Pro 7 database
Verbal borrowings l The database: – – Filemaker™Pro 7 database Currently > 120 examples from > 50 language pairs; goal: at least 200 different language pairs from all continents
Verbal borrowings l The database: – – – Filemaker™Pro 7 database Currently > 120 examples from > 50 language pairs; goal: at least 200 different language pairs from all continents Incorporating typological and other metainformation for all languages involved
Verbal borrowings l The database: – – Filemaker™Pro 7 database Currently > 120 examples from > 50 language pairs; goal: at least 200 different language pairs from all continents Incorporating typological and other metainformation for all languages involved Including information on the productivity of borrowing patterns
Verbal borrowings l The database: – – – Filemaker™Pro 7 database Currently > 120 examples from > 50 language pairs; goal: at least 200 different language pairs from all continents Incorporating typological and other metainformation for all languages involved Including information on the productivity of borrowing patterns Including information on contact situations
Verbal borrowings l Metadata collected: – Contact situation and estimated date of borrowing
Verbal borrowings l Metadata collected: – – Contact situation and estimated date of borrowing Attitude of recipient language speakers towards borrowings
Verbal borrowings l Metadata collected: – – – Contact situation and estimated date of borrowing Attitude of recipient language speakers towards borrowings Productivity and frequency of loan verb adaptation pattern(s) in the recipient language
Verbal borrowings l Metadata collected: – – Contact situation and estimated date of borrowing Attitude of recipient language speakers towards borrowings Productivity and frequency of loan verb adaptation pattern(s) in the recipient language Lexical status of the borrowing (insertion, replacement, synonym)
Verbal borrowings l Metadata collected: – – – Contact situation and estimated date of borrowing Attitude of recipient language speakers towards borrowings Productivity and frequency of loan verb adaptation pattern(s) in the recipient language Lexical status of the borrowing (insertion, replacement, synonym) Reliability / accuracy of the information
Verbal borrowings l Metadata collected (cont’d): – Typological information on both languages (data from the WALS database)
Verbal borrowings l Metadata collected (cont’d): – – Typological information on both languages (data from the WALS database) Geographical location of donor and recipient language (from the WALS database)
Verbal borrowings l Loan verb embedding patterns
Verbal borrowings l Loan verb embedding patterns 1. Direct insertion (no morphological adaptation)
Verbal borrowings l Loan verb embedding patterns 1. 2. Direct insertion (no morphological adaptation) Indirect insertion (adaptation by affixation etc. )
Verbal borrowings l Loan verb embedding patterns 1. 2. 3. Direct insertion (no morphological adaptation) Indirect insertion (adaptation by affixation etc. ) Light verb strategy
Verbal borrowings l Loan verb embedding patterns 1. 2. 3. 4. Direct insertion (no morphological adaptation) Indirect insertion (adaptation by affixation etc. ) Light verb strategy Paradigm insertion (borrowing of verb + inflection)
Verbal borrowings l Loan verb embedding patterns 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Direct insertion (no morphological adaptation) Indirect insertion (adaptation by affixation etc. ) Light verb strategy Paradigm insertion (borrowing of verb + inflection) Other (e. g. calques)
Verbal borrowings l Loan verb embedding patterns 1. 1: Direct insertion of root or infinitive-like stem Ket < Russian dasitaruɣavɛt da-sitat-u-k-a-bet 3 SG. F. S-read-3. N. O-ABL-DUR-ACT ‘she reads it’ < читать ‘to read’ (Vajda; Werner)
Verbal borrowings l Loan verb embedding patterns 1. 2: Direct insertion of inflected form Tasawaq < Touareg (Air) gháy yílmàq I swim. PFT ‘I swam’ < i-lmäq 3 m. PFT of ëlmëq ‘to swim’ (Wichmann 2004 a, b)
Verbal borrowings l Loan verb embedding patterns 1. 3: Direct insertion across word-class Tasawaq < Touareg (Air) ghá b-tásrìg I IPF-sneeze ‘I am sneezing’ < tusrak ‘sneezing’ (Wichmann 2004 a, b)
Verbal borrowings l Loan verb embedding patterns 2. 1: Affixation with a verbalizer Yakut < Russian Армияҕа сулууспалыы диэн, уонна кэлбэтэҕэ. Armiya-GA sulu: spa-LA: -A die-An, uonna kel-BAt. Aχ-(t)A. army-DAT/LOC service-VR-CVB say-CVB and come. PSTPTCP. NEG-POSS. 3 SG ‘He (went off) to serve in the army and didn't return. ’ < служба ‘service’ (Brigitte Pakendorf, p. c. )
Verbal borrowings l Loan verb embedding patterns 2. 2: Affixation with a causative/factitive English < Jakarta Indonesian downloadin download-FACT ‘to download’ < download (elicited data)
Verbal borrowings l Loan verb embedding patterns 2. 3 Affixation with a special borrowing affix Meyah < Indonesian diebebelajar di-ebe-belajar 1 SG-LW-learn ‘I'm learning’ < belajar ‘to learn’ (Gravelle)
Verbal borrowings l Loan verb embedding patterns 3. 1 Light verb “do”, “make” Modern Greek* < English (USA) κάνει retire kani retire do. 3 SG retire ‘(s)he retires’ < retire (Moravcsik 2003) *of migrants in the USA
Verbal borrowings l Loan verb embedding patterns 3. x Other light verb Carib < Guianese French Creole pentiré poko man paint busy. with 3 SG. cop ‘he is painting’ < pentiré ‘to paint’ (Renault-Lescure)
Verbal borrowings l Loan verb embedding patterns 4. 1 Borrowing of verb plus inflectional paradigm Romani < Turkish and o sxoljo ka siklos te okursun ta te jazarsun and o sxoljo ka sikl-os te okur-sun ta te jazar-sun in ART school FUT learn-2 COMP read-2 and COMP write-2 ‘in the school you will learn how to read and write’ < okurmak ‘to read’; yazmak ‘to write’ (Bakker)
Verbal borrowings l Loan verb embedding patterns 5. 1 Loan translation Ket < Russian díriŋúɣavɛt d-iriŋ-u-k-a-bet 3 SG. M. S-sign-3. N. O-ABL-DUR-ACT ‘he signs it’ < Ket iriŋ ‘pattern, design, writing’ (Vajda; Werner)
Verbal borrowings l Findings so far:
Verbal borrowings l Findings so far: – Most languages have more than one loan verb adaptation pattern
Verbal borrowings l Findings so far: – – Most languages have more than one loan verb adaptation pattern. Different patterns used for the same pair of languages can be an indicator for the date of the particular borrowings. (e. g. in Finnish < Swedish or Nahuatl < Spanish).
Verbal borrowings l Findings so far: – – – Most languages have more than one loan verb adaptation pattern. Different patterns used for the same pair of languages can be an indicator for the date of the particular borrowings. (e. g. in Finnish < Swedish or Nahuatl < Spanish). In these language pairs, the adaptation patterns seem to become less complex over long times of contact.
Verbal borrowings l Findings so far: Most languages have more than one loan verb adaptation pattern. – Different patterns used for the same pair of languages can be an indicator for the date of the particular borrowings. (e. g. in Finnish < Swedish or Nahuatl < Spanish). – In these language pairs, the adaptation patterns seem to become less complex over long times of contact. If this is a general pattern, it can be a useful key to a language’s contact history. –
Verbal borrowings l Findings so far (2): Some languages (e. g. Hup) where speakers claim they keep their language “pure” did not borrow anything apart from a few verbs that usually get heavily affixed with native morphemes.
Verbal borrowings l Findings so far (2): Some languages (e. g. Hup) where speakers claim they keep their language “pure” did not borrow anything apart from a few verbs that usually get heavily affixed with native morphemes. This contradicts the generalization that verbs are less likely to be borrowed than other parts of speech; it also challenges the explanation that verbs are less easily to be borrowed because of the morphology involved.
Verbal borrowings l Example contribution form http: //loanverb. linguist. de/loanverb. html — If you have examples of verbal borrowings in whatever pair of languages, please share them with me!!
Acknowledgements • Examples and findings used here were partly contributed by • • • Edward Vajda (Western Washington U) Brigitte Pakendorf (MPI EVA) Patience Epps (U Virginia / MPI EVA) Søren Wichmann (MPI EVA) Funding: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e. V. via Max-Planck-Institute für evolutionäre Anthropologie, Leipzig
Keep on verbing… l Further Information http: //loanverb. linguist. de/ http: //email. eva. mpg. de/~wohlgemu/ l Contact: wohlgemuth@eva. mpg. de
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