Published by De Gruyter Mouton

Volume 23 Issue 2 -

Issue of Linguistic Typology

Contents
Journal Overview

Publicly Available July 18, 2019

Articles

Publicly Available July 17, 2019

Consonant strengthening: A crosslinguistic survey and articulatory proposal

Joan Bybee, Shelece Easterday

Page range: 263-302

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Abstract

Given the common intuition that consonant lenition occurs more often than fortition, we formulate this as a hypothesis, defining these sound change types in terms of decrease or increase in oral constriction. We then test the hypothesis on allophonic processes in a diverse sample of 81 languages. With the hypothesis confirmed, we examine the input and output of such sound changes in terms of manner and place of articulation and find that while decrease in oral constriction (weakening) affects most consonant types, increase in oral constriction (strengthening) is largely restricted to palatal and labial glides. We conclude that strengthening does not appear to be the simple inverse of weakening. In conclusion we suggest some possible avenues for explaining how glide strengthening may result from articulatory production pressures and speculate that strengthening and weakening can be encompassed under a single theory of sound change resulting from the automatization of production.

Open Access July 17, 2019

What’s in a Bantu verb? Actionality in Bantu languages

Thera Marie Crane, Bastian Persohn

Page range: 303-345

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Abstract

The lexical and phrasal dimensions of aspect and their interactions with morphosyntactic aspectual operators have proved difficult to model in Bantu languages. Bantu actional types do not map neatly onto commonly accepted categorizations of actionality, although these are frequently assumed to be universal and based on real-world event typologies. In this paper, we describe important characteristics and major actional distinctions attested across Bantu languages. These, we argue, include complex lexicalizations consisting of a coming-to-be phase, the ensuing state change, and the resultant state; sub-distinctions of coming-to-be phases, and other issues of phasal quality. Despite these fine-grained distinctions in phasal structure and quality, evidence for a principled distinction between activity- and accomplishment-like predicates is mixed. We review the current state of evidence for these characteristics of Bantu actionality and sketch methodological directions for future research.

Methodological Contribution

July 17, 2019

Mapping variation in Basque: The BiV database

Beatriz Fernández, Ane Berro, Iñigo Urrestarazu, Itziar Orbegozo

Page range: 347-374

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present the Euskara Bariazioan/Basque in Variation ( BiV ) database, a project launched by the Basque and Beyond (Bas&Be) research group. This open-access online database, available in both Basque and English versions, is intended to facilitate research on Basque morphosyntactic features that show cross-dialectal variation. Based on data obtained from questionnaires, the BiV provides the user with a description of each feature together with illustrative examples, and accompanies each entry with a map graphically depicting the distribution of variation. The resulting fine-grained picture of the distribution of morphosyntactic phenomena across Basque varieties has the ultimate goal of improving our understanding of the systematicities and connections that underlie variation. Thanks to its user-friendly format, the database can be used easily by anyone who is interested in Basque morphosyntax in particular and cross-linguistic variation in general. The results obtained thus far show that while some features have the same distribution across Basque varieties as that previously reported, others are spreading and thus have a wider geographical presence than has been described in the literature.

Obituary

July 17, 2019

Obituary: Pioneer of thought-based linguistics: Wallace Chafe (1927–2019)

Dan I. Slobin

Page range: 375-380

Book Review

Open Access July 17, 2019

Torres Cacoullos, Rena and Catherine E. Travis: Bilingualism in the community. Code-switching and grammars in contact.

Francesca Di Garbo

Page range: 381-393

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Grammar Highlights

July 17, 2019

Grammar highlights – 2018

Page range: 395-398

About this journal

Open Access

As part of De Gruyter‘s Subscribe to Open program, we plan to transform Linguistic Typology to Gold Open Access in 2024. For details on S2O, please see here.

Objective

Linguistic Typology provides a forum for all work of relevance to the study of language typology and cross-linguistic variation. It welcomes work taking a typological perspective on all domains of the structure of spoken and signed languages, including historical change, language processing, and sociolinguistics. Diverse descriptive and theoretical frameworks are welcomed so long as they have a clear bearing on the study of cross-linguistic variation. We welcome cross-disciplinary approaches to the study of linguistic diversity, as well as work dealing with just one or a few languages, as long as it is typologically informed and typologically and theoretically relevant, and contains new empirical evidence.

Linguistic Typology is published by De Gruyter Mouton for the Association for Linguistic Typology (ALT). For membership and subscription details, contact the Secretary: Dmitry Idiatov

Article formats

• Research articles
• Target articles with peer commentary (If you have an idea for one, contact the Editor)
• Special issues (If you have an idea for a Special Issue, contact the Editor)
• Debates (contact the Editor)
• Language profiles, family portraits and areal surveys
• Review articles (reviewing two or more books, or a whole subject area)
• Book reviews (all book reviews are commissioned by Review Editors)
• Methodological contributions (e.g., reports on and reviews of toolkits, databases, software, collection of texts and corpora, archival collections resulting from fieldwork etc.) These should include a discussion of how/why the material is of typological relevance.
• Squibs (very short and often humorous pieces on a very specific topic intended to encourage debate)
• Contact the Editor if you have an idea that is not represented here

Volume 23 Issue 2 -

Issue of Linguistic Typology

Frontmatter

Consonant strengthening: A crosslinguistic survey and articulatory proposal

Abstract

What’s in a Bantu verb? Actionality in Bantu languages

Abstract

Mapping variation in Basque: The BiV database

Abstract

Obituary: Pioneer of thought-based linguistics: Wallace Chafe (1927–2019)

Torres Cacoullos, Rena and Catherine E. Travis: Bilingualism in the community. Code-switching and grammars in contact.

Grammar highlights – 2018