Abstract
0. It has been noted on a number of occasions that exceptions to regular sound change seem to be concentrated in a particular portion of the lexicon.2 Words for noises, animal cries, mental states, and physical states and actions, termed by Fudge vocabulary, seem particularly resistant to regular phonetic change.3 In the Iroquoian languages, as in others, such words behave differently from other vocabulary both synchronically and diachronically, but this divergence can be shown to be systematic and the logical result of their function. The idea that expressive vocabulary differs fundamentally from the rest of the lexicon is not new. The distinctive phonological, morphological, and syntactic behavior of such words has been reported for a number of languages, such as Salishan, Finnish, Semai, Bahnar, Garo, Chadic, and the Bantu languages Nguni, Shona, and Yao.4 The elaboration of this segment of the lexicon appears to vary from language to language, although this apparent variation may be due in part to the difficulties associated with its elicitation, another indicator of the special
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.