Comparative Linguistics

Comparative Linguistics Prof. Julia Nee Spring 2014 Universidad LaSalle Oaxaca

Course Overview • Question: Is this class going to be in English, or in Spanish? • Lectura en español • Classes in English (lo másposible – si hay dudas, podemosclarificar en español) • Quizzes and Homeworks – You can choose! • Goal: El propósito de este curso es introducir a los alumnos con los conceptos claves de la lingüística comparada. Vamos a ver: • conceptos básicos de la lingüística teórica en general, con un enfoque en como estos conceptos se pueden aplicar al campo de lingüística comparada • las relaciones genéticas que tienen las lenguas del mundo; las teorías de cómo y porque las lenguas cambian • cambios fonéticos, morfológicos, sintácticos, semánticos, y léxicos • los efectos de área, como préstamo;los conceptos de tipología y suaplicación al campo comparativo

Miss Julia wants to know about you! • Where are you from originally? Where did you grow up? How long have you lived in Oaxaca? • What languages have you studied? What is your level in each language? • Why are you interested in Modern Languages? • What do you hope to do when you graduate? • What do you hope to learn from this course?

Requísitos del curso • Tarea: 30% • Semanal • Se puedetrabajar en grupos, pero el trabajoentregadotienequeserelaboradoindividualmente • Participación: 10% • Asistencia: 6 faltas = extraordinario; 12 faltas = recursamiento • Contribución a la clase de maneraproductiva; uso de inglés lo másposible

Requísitos del Curso • Proyecto: 30% • Trabajar en gruposaplicando la metodologíaaprendida a unalengua • Presentar el proyecto a la clase • Pruebas: 30% • Unapruebacadamiércolesquecubre la informaciónpresentada la semana anterior • Respuestasaceptadas en inglés o español

Questions? • Most important: Ask questions if you are confused! • My aim: Everyone should try their best!

What is comparative linguistics? • The study of relationships which exist between genetically related languages (Beekes 2011). • Subfield of “Historical Linguistics” (the study of how languages change). • Have you noticed any linguistic changes? • “Vosotros” form • “Spanglish” words and phrases

Don Quixote Spanish Spanglish (translated by IlánStavans) In un placete de La Mancha of which nombre no quieroremembrearme, vivía, not so long ago, uno de esos gentlemen who always tienenunalanza in the rack, una buckler angiqua, a skinny caballo y un grayhoundpara el chase. En un lugar de la Mancha, de cuyonombre no quieroacordarme, no ha mucho tiempoquevivía un hidalgo de los de lanza en astillero, adargaantigua, rocínflaco, y galgocorredor.

Discovery of Indo-European • Sanskrit introduced to Europe • Before, believed the “Tower of Babel” story • All languages had the same source • Probably Hebrew • Sir William Jones – 1786

Sir William Jones “The Sanskrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either, yet bearing to both of them a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs and in the forms of grammar, than could possibly have been produced by accident; so strong indeed, that no philosopher could examine them all three, without believing them to have sprung from some common source, which, perhaps, no longer exists.” “La lenguasánscrita, cualquieraque sea suantigüedad, tieneunamaravillosaestructura; más perfecta que el griego, másabundanteque el latín, y másexquisitamenterefinadaquecualquierotra, peromanteniendo entre ellasunaafinidadmásfuerte de la quepudieraposiblementehaberseproducideporaccidente, tanto en lasraíces de los verboscomo en lasfromasgramaticales; es tan marcado, de hecho, queningúnfilólogopodríaexaminarlastres, sin creerquehansurgido de unafuentecomún, quequizáya no exista.”

Which languages are related?

Indo-European Family

Language vs. Dialect • How can we define a language versus a dialect? • It is completely arbitrary! • Based on socio-political factors • Non-linguistic decision

Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian • Unified as “Yugoslavia” in 1918  spoke “Serbo-Croatian,” a standardized language that aimed to unify individuals within the state • “Serbs, Croats and Montenegrins share a single language with two equal variants that have developed around Zagreb and Belgrade.” (1954) • Broke into separate republics in 1990 (and after)  each state developed its own standard

Comparison of the Languages Croatian Serbian Berza Porcelan Rda Čaura Rvač • Burza • Porculan • Hrda • Čahura • Hrvač

Dialects of English • Wide variety of English spoken worldwide • No motivation to develop distinct English “languages” • Differentiation between British and American English: • Noah Webster wrote the first American Dictionary to differentiate American and British English • Different spellings

Comparison of English British American Orthographic Differences Programs Gray Organize Criticize Pronunciation Differences /hænuh/ /chænt/ /mam/ • Orthographic Differences • Programmes • Grey • Organise • Criticise • Pronunciation Differences • /hænər/ • /chant/ • /mum/

African American Vernacular English • High level of segregation in the United States • “Standard English” is the “prestige dialect” • Taught in schools • Considered to be “correct” • AAVE is highly regular, but different from Standard English

Comparison of Standard and AAV English AAVE Standard American English You aren’t going to heaven. Nobody knows. He is working. He is working. • You ain’tgoin’ to no heaven. • Don’t nobody know. • He be working. • He working.

What are linguists interested in? • Language as it is actually used • Not interested in “prescriptive grammar” (rules we learn in school) • Focused on “descriptive grammar” (what people actually say) • Use phonetic transcription, rather than orthography (when possible)

Comparative Linguistics