The Areal Linguistics of Australia

Miceli, Luisa; Dench, Alan

doi:10.1017/9781107279872.028

Cited by 88 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 36 publications

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“…That one large set of languages has strikingly low evidence of this type of change therefore presents an interesting challenge for linguistic theory. Here we examine the paucity of evidence for regular sound changes across the Australian continent, something which has long been noted in the literature (Capell 1956;Austin 1990;Crowley 1997;O'Grady 1998;Miceli 2015;Miceli and Dench 2016;Miceli 2019;Bowern this volume). We discuss its theoretical implications and attempt to identify some potential contributors to this perplexing diachronic picture.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Where have all the sound changes gone? Examining the scarcity of evidence for regular sound change in Australian languages

Miceli

Round

2022

Linguistics Vanguard

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Almost universally, diachronic sound patterns of languages reveal evidence of both regular and irregular sound changes, yet an exception may be the languages of Australia. Here we discuss a long-observed and striking characteristic of diachronic sound patterns in Australian languages, namely the scarcity of evidence they present for regular sound change. Since the regularity assumption is fundamental to the comparative method, Australian languages pose an interesting challenge for linguistic theory. We examine the situation from two different angles. We identify potential explanations for the lack of evidence of regular sound change, reasoning from the nature of synchronic Australian phonologies; and we emphasise how this unusual characteristic of Australian languages may demand new methods of evaluating evidence for diachronic relatedness, and new thinking about the nature of intergenerational transmission. We refer the reader also to Bowern (this volume) for additional viewpoints from which the Australian conundrum can be approached.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Where have all the sound changes gone? Examining the scarcity of evidence for regular sound change in Australian languages

Miceli

Round

2022

Linguistics Vanguard

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The Oxford Guide to Australian Languages

2023

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The Oxford Guide to Australian languages is a wide-ranging reference work that provides information about the more than 550 traditional and new Indigenous languages of Australia. There are chapters covering phonology, morphology, and syntax; language change, typology, and language classification, and language in the social sphere, including sociolinguistics and language variation, child-directed speech, and multilingualism. It describes the contemporary linguistic landscape, including language endangerment and reclamation. It is an up-to-date compendium of knowledge on traditional and contemporary languages, with a particular focus on material which is not covered in the handbooks from the past.

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2023

The Oxford Guide to Australian Languages

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The Areal Linguistics of Australia

Cited by 88 publications

References 36 publications

Where have all the sound changes gone? Examining the scarcity of evidence for regular sound change in Australian languages

Where have all the sound changes gone? Examining the scarcity of evidence for regular sound change in Australian languages

The Oxford Guide to Australian Languages

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