Minor Mlabri: A hunter-gatherer language of northern Indochina By Jørgen Rischel (review)

Abstract

BOOK NOTICES 221 in first or second languages and even creóles, e.g. Véronique's contribution, describing the successive organizations of the means of modal reference in learner varieties and, in some articles at least (e.g. by Monique Lambert, Ursula Stephany, Anna Giacalone Ramat, Norbert Dittmar and Bernt Ahrenholz ), attempting to delineate the influence of language-specific and universal factors on the organization ofthis domain oflanguage at different points in development, all this within a general functionalist framework where the semantic and pragmatic dimensions of language are explicitly taken into account and where discourse is taken as a major operational space for the learner. Questions addressed include: (1) Do the various means to express modality appear in a fixed order in acquisition? (2) Does deontic meaning precede epistemic meaning in acquisition? (3) To what extent is grammaticahzation in the modal domain influenced by discourse pragmatics? (4) What is the role of the organization of modality in the target and source language with respect to the above issues? The quality of the contributions is variable, with some essentially preliminary descriptive studies of rather limited penetration and general interest. On the other hand, there are several excellent articles of wider empirical and theoretical relevance (e.g. by Véronique, Stephany, Giacalone Ramat, Dittmar and Ahrenholz). Ultimately, this volume would have been more cohesive and significant if the editors had provided a more extensive general introduction, outlining the analytic framework adopted and demonstrating how, rather than merely stating that, the findings of the studies reported here can contribute to theory construction in both (second) language acquisition research and general linguistics. [Alex Housen, Vrije Universiteit Brussels.] Minor Mlabri: A hunter-gatherer language of northern Indochina. By J0RGEN Rischel. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, 1995. Pp. 367. J0rgen Rischel's Minor Mlabri focuses on one of two varieties ofMlabri. Despite considerable interest in the language because of the speakers' long-standing hunter-gatherer tradition, even for Mon-Khmer specialists little hard data on any variety of Mlabri exists beyond a few wordlists, a gap that is filled admirably by this monograph. In the initial chapter (21-40), R distinguishes Minor Mlabri from the better known Major Mlabri, another variety of Mlabri R worked on together with the late S0ren Egerod and on which another monograph is being prepared. Despite marked differences in rhythm and intonation, Major and Minor Mlabri are close but have significant differences in vocabulary . The second chapter (41-62) places Mlabri in a diachronic, areal, and sociolinguistic context. Under intense pressures from other languages of the area, Minor Mlabri is close to extinction, spoken now by just eleven individuals with the younger speakers fluent in both Thai and Hmong and tending to use Mlabri only under the instigation of the elders. Ch. 3 (63-81) presents a phonological sketch concerned with segmental phonology, prosody, and the problems presented by variation along with a discussion ofthe central role ofphonology in distinguishing sentential units. In Ch. 4 (82-132), the morphology ofMlabri is discussed, including notes on affixation, infixation, causative formation, elaborate expressions , sound symbolism, and compounding. In addition , it contains interesting sections on word semantics, that is, polysemy, synonymy, and antinomy as well as on the words for eating, drinking, and smoking, color terms, and kinship terms. Ch. 5 (133-200) capably deals with phrasal syntax including word order, referentiality, and so on. R's invaluable lexicon is the focus of the final three chapters. Ch. 6 (201-18) discusses the selection and reliability of the given lexical material. Ch. 7 (219-342) is the Mlabri-English dictionary itself. Ch. 8 (343-62) is an English-Mlabri word index. The grammatical sketch is presented lucidly and insightfully, in a style that is clear and readable. R is candid about the limitations of the data and the potential shortcomings in the analyses. The framework is descriptive, rather than formalistic, but with frequent useful and insightful comments about possible formalizations, about the metalinguistic perceptions of his informants, and about the problems of eliciting data in the field. Scattered throughout are little digressions on intriguing linguistic tidbits that caught R's ear. The material has obvious value to Mon-Khmer diachronic studies, to areal...