From head-final towards head-initial grammar
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Erika Asztalos
Abstract
Contrary to the commonly assumed view that Udmurt is a non-rigid head-final language (Vilkuna, 1998), I argue that Udmurt is undergoing an (S)OV>(S)VO change through the influence of (S)VO Russian, but this change is proceeding more slowly in the areas where (S)OV Tatar is also spoken. In my survey, younger speakers of Udmurt produced and accepted head-initial phrases (embedded in discourse-neutral sentences) to a higher degree than older ones. In an apparent-time hypothesis approach, this difference may indicate that Udmurt is undergoing a typological change. On the other hand, speakers from Tatarstan had a stronger preference for the head-final variants than the ones from Udmurtia. I suggest that the influence of Tatar “refrains” the typological change of Udmurt in these areas.
Abstract
Contrary to the commonly assumed view that Udmurt is a non-rigid head-final language (Vilkuna, 1998), I argue that Udmurt is undergoing an (S)OV>(S)VO change through the influence of (S)VO Russian, but this change is proceeding more slowly in the areas where (S)OV Tatar is also spoken. In my survey, younger speakers of Udmurt produced and accepted head-initial phrases (embedded in discourse-neutral sentences) to a higher degree than older ones. In an apparent-time hypothesis approach, this difference may indicate that Udmurt is undergoing a typological change. On the other hand, speakers from Tatarstan had a stronger preference for the head-final variants than the ones from Udmurtia. I suggest that the influence of Tatar “refrains” the typological change of Udmurt in these areas.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- Nominal borrowings in Tsova-Tush (Nakh-Daghestanian, Georgia) and their gender assignment 15
- Lexical convergence reflects complex historical processes 35
- The ideological background of language change in Permic-speaking communities 59
- Enets-Russian language contact 85
- Izhma Komi in Western Siberia 119
- From head-final towards head-initial grammar 143
- Russian influence on Surgut Khanty and Estonian aspect is limited but similar 183
- Quotative indexes in Permic 217
- Some structural similarities in the outcomes of language contact with Russian 259
- Why do two Uralic languages (Surgut Khanty and Erzya) use different code-switching strategies? 289
- Analyzing Modern Chinese Pidgin Russian 315
- The choice of forms in contact varieties 345
- Language data and maps 369
- Languages & language families 381
- Subject index 383
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- Nominal borrowings in Tsova-Tush (Nakh-Daghestanian, Georgia) and their gender assignment 15
- Lexical convergence reflects complex historical processes 35
- The ideological background of language change in Permic-speaking communities 59
- Enets-Russian language contact 85
- Izhma Komi in Western Siberia 119
- From head-final towards head-initial grammar 143
- Russian influence on Surgut Khanty and Estonian aspect is limited but similar 183
- Quotative indexes in Permic 217
- Some structural similarities in the outcomes of language contact with Russian 259
- Why do two Uralic languages (Surgut Khanty and Erzya) use different code-switching strategies? 289
- Analyzing Modern Chinese Pidgin Russian 315
- The choice of forms in contact varieties 345
- Language data and maps 369
- Languages & language families 381
- Subject index 383
