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Investigating the ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘why’ of global phonological typology

  • Ian Maddieson EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: April 28, 2023

Abstract

What? Where? and Why? are the principal questions to ask in relation to linguistic typological patterns, in phonology as elsewhere. However, assembling sufficient and reliable information on a large diverse sample of languages presents challenges. Some of these issues are discussed in this paper, based on the practices seen in various database projects, including WALS and LAPSyD and in the wider literature. The challenge of recognizing areal convergence can be aided by simple mapping techniques. The most scientifically challenging issue is explaining ‘why’ as this requires considering multiple physiological, psychological, social, and other effects. Recent efforts to correlate phonological features with climatic and environmental factors offer a further potentially interesting way forward.


Corresponding author: Ian Maddieson [ˈiən ˈmædɪsən], University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA; and University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA, E-mail:

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Received: 2022-11-17
Accepted: 2022-12-15
Published Online: 2023-04-28
Published in Print: 2023-07-26

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