Lingformant » Linguistic typology

Running words together: The science behind cross-linguistic psychology

Vili Maunula — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 09:05:01 +0000

In a study examining the contrast in cross-cultural languages, known as cross-linguistics, researchers from CNRS and UniversitÃ© de Provence, and Harvard and Trento Universities found direct evidence to support word-order constraints during language production. Specifically, the way in which participants pronounced a set of words was dependent upon the preceding word as it varied across languages. …

Read the full news article at EurekAlert

Whistling language remains a mystery

Vili Maunula — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 17:02:57 +0000

There are over 6,800 languages the world. Most are spoken, but some have a rather unique form of delivery, including whistling. More than 1,000 miles from Anchorage, in the village of Savoonga, which is located on Saint Lawrence Island, some claim an ancient form of communication still exists.

Read the full article at KTUU

There are no synonyms b/w languages: Eco

Vili Maunula — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 17:02:19 +0000

Among peals of laughter and a friendly banter Umberto Eco, professor of semiotics from the University of Bologna and author of the celebrated novel The Name of The Rose, came to a solemn conclusion: “There are no synonyms between languages.” To illustrate his sumation the semiotician said: “No English word really explains what the German word, Sehnsucht, means. Neither nostalgia, nor yearning, neither craving nor wistfulness really describes the full and exact meaning of the word.”

Read the full article at IndiaTimes

Tribal language has no words for colours

Vili Maunula — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 17:00:58 +0000

Previous analysis of Pirahã, a language spoken by only 200 people in Amazonas, Brazil, suggested that it had some limited words for colours and at least the words for “one”, “two” and “many”. But further analysis by Daniel Everett at the University of Manchester, UK, reveals that these “words” are in fact phrases.

Read the full article at New Scientist

Studies of Amazonian languages challenge linguistic theories

Vili Maunula — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 17:00:26 +0000

Two studies that appear in the August/October 2005 issue of Current Anthropology challenge established linguistic theories regarding the language families of Amazonia.

Read the full article at EurekAlert

The World Atlas of Language Structures

Vili Maunula — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 17:00:24 +0000

The WALS (The World Atlas of Language Structures; Haspelmath et al. 2005) is a large database of structural (phonological, grammatical, lexical) properties of languages gathered from descriptive materials (such as reference grammars) by a team of more than 40 authors (many of them the leading authorities on the subject).

Read the full article at WALS homepage

Forget French lessons – a new atlas offers insights into !Xoop

Vili Maunula — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 17:00:20 +0000

German linguists have spent five years compiling the book, working with 40 language experts specialising in languages ranging from Chinese to those spoken by only 100 adults. The atlas contains details of about 2,600 languages, where they prevail, and how they are used. And, with grammar still a hot linguistic topic, it includes a map of sentence structures around the world.

Read the full article at Guardian Unlimited