Reducing phonological complexity and grammatical opaqueness
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Bettina Zeisler
Abstract
Old Tibetan shows extraordinary complexity in its syllable structure as well as highly complex or rather opaque verb morphology. The syllable structure (CCC)CV(CC) has broken down completely in the modern Central Tibetan dialects to CV(C), while the opaque alternations of prefixes, consonants and vowels in verb stem formation were levelled out and replaced by regular systems of periphrastic construction in the western and central varieties. Both developments can be described as processes of simplification that were triggered in a linguistic contact situation, where Old Tibetan served as a lingua franca for various non-Tibetan peoples.
Abstract
Old Tibetan shows extraordinary complexity in its syllable structure as well as highly complex or rather opaque verb morphology. The syllable structure (CCC)CV(CC) has broken down completely in the modern Central Tibetan dialects to CV(C), while the opaque alternations of prefixes, consonants and vowels in verb stem formation were levelled out and replaced by regular systems of periphrastic construction in the western and central varieties. Both developments can be described as processes of simplification that were triggered in a linguistic contact situation, where Old Tibetan served as a lingua franca for various non-Tibetan peoples.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- Simplicity, simplification, complexity and complexification 1
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Part I. Morpho-phonology
- Initial vowel agglutination in the Gulf of Guinea creoles 29
- Simplification of a complex part of grammar or not? 51
- Reducing phonological complexity and grammatical opaqueness 75
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Part II. Verbal morphology
- Verb allomorphy and the syntax of phases 99
- The invisible hand in creole genesis 115
- Complexification or regularization of paradigms 159
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Part III. Nominals
- The Mauritian Creole determiner system 173
- Demonstratives in Afrikaans and Cape Dutch Pidgin 201
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Part IV. The selection of features in complex morphology
- Contact, complexification and change in Mindanao Chabacano structure 223
- Morphosyntactic finiteness as increased complexity in a mixed negation system 243
- Contact language formation in evolutionary terms 265
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Part V. Evaluating simplification and complexification
- Economy, innovation and degrees of complexity in creole formation 293
- Competition and selection 317
- Complexity and the age of languages 345
-
Part VI. Postscript
- Restructuring, hybridization, and complexity in language evolution 367
- Language index 401
- Subject index 405
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- Simplicity, simplification, complexity and complexification 1
-
Part I. Morpho-phonology
- Initial vowel agglutination in the Gulf of Guinea creoles 29
- Simplification of a complex part of grammar or not? 51
- Reducing phonological complexity and grammatical opaqueness 75
-
Part II. Verbal morphology
- Verb allomorphy and the syntax of phases 99
- The invisible hand in creole genesis 115
- Complexification or regularization of paradigms 159
-
Part III. Nominals
- The Mauritian Creole determiner system 173
- Demonstratives in Afrikaans and Cape Dutch Pidgin 201
-
Part IV. The selection of features in complex morphology
- Contact, complexification and change in Mindanao Chabacano structure 223
- Morphosyntactic finiteness as increased complexity in a mixed negation system 243
- Contact language formation in evolutionary terms 265
-
Part V. Evaluating simplification and complexification
- Economy, innovation and degrees of complexity in creole formation 293
- Competition and selection 317
- Complexity and the age of languages 345
-
Part VI. Postscript
- Restructuring, hybridization, and complexity in language evolution 367
- Language index 401
- Subject index 405
