Typological Study Research Articles

Lipid residue analysis of Chinese ritual bronzes: Methodological and archaeological implications

Ritual bronze vessels are the most important artefacts in the Chinese Bronze Age. Based on typological studies, different vessel types were linked with specific sacrificial offerings, for example meat, crop and alcohol, which further implied vessel functions and ritual traditions in early Chinese history. However, direct evidence of the original food and drink contents in the bronze vessels was largely missing and information was mostly inferred from casting inscriptions and historical records. To test the potentials of lipid residue analysis in ritual bronzes, we selected sediments associated with 17 bronzes from the Dahan Cemetery, Shandong Province, 11 bronzes from the Sujialong Cemetery and 1 from the Yangjiaping Cemetery, Hubei Province. Samples were collected from different positions of the vessels and characteristic types of bronzes to compare their lipid profiles. The results showed that solvent extraction yielded the highest concentrations of steroids at Dahan, while alkaline saponification recovered the most abundant lipid classes at Yangjiaping and Sujialong. Different extraction methods may be selected based on burial environments and research objectives. At Dahan, the lipid profiles from sediments attached to the interior bottom of the vessel which mixed with corrosion products displayed distinctive features in contrast to the lipids from environmental background, demonstrating their potentials in indicating original foodstuffs. The lipid results from Sujialong exhibited larger contributions from the burial environment. Sacrificial bronze vessels generally displayed different lipid compositions associated with their food and alcohol contents, showing the indicative significance of bronze residues. Long-chain fatty acids and plant steroids dominated the lipid profiles of Dui, Dou, Gui, Li and Fu, which have traditionally been considered as food containers, although the origins of plants cannot be confirmed. The presence of miliacin in the bronzes of Hu and Zunfou at Dahan points to the use of millets, probably as alcoholic beverage. At a later stage, fruit drink appeared in Houlou at Yangjiaping.

Coordination strategies in Messapic

Abstract Messapic, like many ancient Indo-European languages, shows evidence for the existence of more than one coordinating conjunction. Alongside an inherited Indo-European clitic =ti, comparable to Lat. =que or Gk. =τε, Messapic has also grammaticalised an additional coordinator anda from a lexical source. Although the two conjunctions are found in some strikingly similar contexts, this paper argues that they also show noteworthy functional differences, which can plausibly be contextualised against a broader cross-linguistic understanding of how novel coordinators grammaticalise. In this way, the typological study of coordination has the potential to contribute further insights into this fascinating—and as yet insufficiently understood—epigraphic language.

Coordination strategies in Messapic

Abstract Messapic, like many ancient Indo-European languages, shows evidence for the existence of more than one coordinating conjunction. Alongside an inherited Indo-European clitic =ti, comparable to Lat. =que or Gk. =τε, Messapic has also grammaticalised an additional coordinator anda from a lexical source. Although the two conjunctions are found in some strikingly similar contexts, this paper argues that they also show noteworthy functional differences, which can plausibly be contextualised against a broader cross-linguistic understanding of how novel coordinators grammaticalise. In this way, the typological study of coordination has the potential to contribute further insights into this fascinating—and as yet insufficiently understood—epigraphic language.

Head and dependent marking and dependency length in possessive noun phrases: a typological study of morphological and syntactic complexity.

The interaction of morphosyntactic features has been of great interest in research on linguistic complexity. In this paper we approach such interactions in possessive noun phrases. First, we study the interaction of head marking and dependent marking in this domain with typological feature data and with multilingual corpus data. The data suggest that there is a clear inverse relationship between head and dependent marking in possessive noun phrases in terms of complexity. The result points to evidence on complexity trade-offs and to productive integration of typological and corpus-based approaches. Second, we explore whether zero versus overt morphological marking as a measure of morphological complexity affects dependency length as a measure of syntactic complexity. Data from multilingual corpora suggest that there is no cross-linguistic trend between these measures in possessive noun phrases.

Tracing Vowel Quality in Iraqi Arabic Dialects: A Typological Study

Iraqi Arabic dialects have a range of phoneme inventories, and there is a necessity for tracing the distribution of phonological features of such phonemes within these dialects. Three dialects were investigated to trace variations in vowel quality tracking any distribution patterns or deviations. The first three formants were extracted and analyzed with the application of a number of statistical methods. It is shown that a correlation is evident among the formants of qeltu and gelet dialects with a strong correlation between short and long vowels within and across dialects for two age categories. While the results of ANOVA and MANOVA techniques show a significant interaction of F1 and F2 across dialects. It is crucial to say that a pattern of variation in vowel quality is diagnosed among Iraqi Arabic dialects.

Cultural exchange and integration: archaeometallurgical case study on underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes from Shuangyuan Village Site in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty

As typical artifacts of the Ba-Shu culture, bronze dagger-axes have always been highly valued by academia. Underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes were utilized widely in both the Central Plains and southwest China. However, opinions differ on whether these underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes which excavated from Ba-Shu culture were produced locally. Combined with archaeological typology study, p-XRF and MC-ICP-MS were used to analyze 12 underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes unearthed from Shuangyuan Village Site, an Eastern Zhou cemetery in Chengdu city, Sichuan Province, Southwest China in order to investigate the cultural exchange and integration centered on the Shu culture. The composition results show that the majority of samples were made from copper, tin, and lead ternary alloy. The data on lead isotopes indicate that underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes have different mineral sources. The lead isotope ratio 206Pb/204Pb of 18.3 can draw the conclusion to be used as one of the bases for judging that underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes originated in the Chengdu Plain or the Central Plains which was consistent with the typology. The southern China lead materials of underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes in the Ba-Shu and Central Plains style probably came from southern Sichuan; while the rest of underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes in the Central Plains style might use lead materials in the western Hunan-western Hubei area. The Shu culture which was represented by Shuangyuan Village Site in Chengdu Plain during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty had close cultural communication with the Central Plains and Chu cultures. This study reveals that Ba-Shu had a direct exchange of minerals or metal products with the Central Plains and Chu, as well as an imitation based on the identification of the foreign culture and the belief in the local Shu cultural traditions.

Spatial Building Typology – Function Follows Form

Buildings today are subject to change. New functions are accommodated in vacant buildings. This is a favorable development from both a sustainability point of view and a cultural-historical perspective. Originally, the volume and form of a building was dictated by its original function: form follows function. We now see that a spatial form is already present. Is it logical to conclude that the new functions adapt to the existing available form and space: function follows form? In order to gain insight into how the existing form and space relate to the possibilities of reuse, research into a spatial building typology is necessary. Existing typological studies of buildings are usually based on functions. An inventory of research that has already been done with regard to spatial characteristics of buildings and the way of translating it into analyzes is part of this research. Also, on the basis of two comparative spatial analyzes of two groups of buildings (Department Stores V&D’s and Police Stations in The Netherlands), a methodology is explored that maps the spatial characteristics of the locations. Eight locations per group of buildings were explored through analyzes on four scale levels: city, block, object and envelope and on the basis of twelve spatial aspects. After analysis per location the characteristics have been compared per aspect. Parallel twenty-four students worked on the redesign assignments during two graduation studios at Delft University of Technology (Heritage & Architecture). Their final designs were related to the existing spatial types of the locations in order to arrive at a redesign typology per building group in order to answer the question: can statements be made about the redesign possibilities of these buildings based on a Spatial Building Typology of buildings? Finally, some recommendations are made for further research.

Living in the Mountains. Late Mesolithic/Early Neolithic Settlement in Northwest Portugal: Rock Shelter 1 of Vale de Cerdeira (Vieira do Minho)

Abstract In the 1990s, a research project was developed to identify, in the mountainous areas of the Northwest (NW) of Portugal, the existence of an occupation model associated with the last hunter–gatherer prehistoric communities in the region. Therefore, a set of consistent and detailed field surveys took place in the mountains of NW Portugal, leading to the discovery of the archaeological site named “Rock Shelter 1 of Cerdeira Valley,” a granite rock shelter situated in Cabreira mountain. The campaigns of excavations undertaken permitted the identification of two combustion structures, from which charcoal samples provided two C-14 dates, as well as a significant stone tool assemblage (around 30,000 pieces), that established the prehistoric occupation of “Rock Shelter 1 of Cerdeira Valley” between the Late Mesolithic and the Early Neolithic. This archaeological site and its body of evidences are being analysed within the context of an ongoing PhD project developed by one of the authors (P. Xavier), through two mutually related lines of research. The first one relates to the complete technological and typological study of the lithic assembly, identifying the objectives of the stone tool production, i.e. lithic production systems and related châines opératoires; and the second concerns itself with the classification and characterisation of different raw materials exploited by the prehistoric communities and, wherever possible, to make some additional considerations about raw material procurement. The goals of this article are the presentation of the methodologies adopted in the study of raw materials and the results obtained from the techno-typological study.

Measuring redundancy: the relation between concord and complexity

AbstractSyntagmatic redundancy involves constructions in which a single meaning relates to more than one form in a clause or phrase. Redundancy has been claimed to facilitate language processing and acquisition, and to be a linguistic universal, because of these advantages. At the same time, the repeated expression of meaning has been argued to make languages more complex because of the violation of principles of economy and transparency. This paper first investigates the relation between redundancy and complexity by examining how redundancy scores on well-known metrics of complexity. This assessment shows that redundancy makes languages more complex according to metrics of objective complexity, while it has contradictory effects according to metrics of subjective complexity. To empirically test whether redundancy makes acquisition and processing easier or harder, a cross-linguistically valid way of measuring redundancy first needs to be established. The second part of the paper involves an attempt in this direction. It presents a typological study on cross-linguistic variation in four types of concord, showing that languages differ with respect to the number and types of redundancy constructions they allow. The ranking of the 50 sample languages as to their redundancy-based complexity serves as a testable hypothesis for acquisition and processing research.

A Typological Study of the Mongolian and Chinese Comparatives From the Perspective of the Cardiff Grammar

This paper explores the syntactic and semantic functions of “NP + ᠡᠴᠡ᠌ (aca/ece)” in the Mongolian comparatives and “比(bǐ)+ NP” in the Chinese comparatives from the perspective of the model of Cardiff Grammar in Systemic Functional Linguistics. It is found that “NP + ᠡᠴᠡ᠌ (aca/ece)” in the Mongolian comparatives is case group, which can function as Main Verb and Adjunct. “比(bǐ)+ NP” in the Chinese comparatives is prepositional phrase, which can serve as Main Verb, Adjunct and Complement. Through the typological analysis, we find that the similarities in Mongolian and Chinese comparatives outweigh their differences in terms of process type and subject theme. However, the detailed features vary in the most delicate systems – within the lexical zone at the stratum of lexicogrammar. The findings not only provide a tentative solution to the long-standing debates on the comparatives, but also shed light on the teaching and learning of the comparatives in Mongolian and Chinese.

Pottery-Making Practices between the Ubaid and the Late Chalcolithic 1 and 2

Abstract. Ceramic traditions are a crucial element to interpret socio-economic change. Traditionally, this has been done through typological studies. Yet, to understand the transformations and spread of ceramic traditions in terms of social and economic processes and interactions between communities of northern Mesopotamia between the Ubaid and the Late Chalcolithic 1 and 2, we should look at how pottery was made. In this paper, I present the preliminary results of a technological study of ceramics from the Balikh valley in modern northern Syria. Building upon practice theory, I apply the chaîne opératoire approach to the analysis of assemblages from the sites of Tell Hammam et-Turkman, Tell Sawwan, and Tell Zeidan, and provide a detailed reconstruction of their manufacturing process. Based on these results, it appears that five different traditions were present at these sites in the period under analysis. The trajectories of development of these traditions raise intriguing questions with regard to the socio-economic context and emerging specialization in the Balikh valley.

Infinitives of affect and intersubjectivity: on the indexical interpretation of the Finnish independent infinitives

Abstract This article presents an analysis of the structure and use of the Finnish independent infinitives. Although typological studies have shown that syntactically independent non-finite constructions are widespread in many languages, the understanding of their semantic and intersubjective motivation is still in its early stages. The current paper aims to enrich the understanding of independent non-finite constructions by closely looking at free-standing infinitive constructions in spoken and written Finnish: it combines theoretical concepts of Cognitive Grammar with the methodological tools of Interactional Linguistics to explore the nature of independent infinitives as a resource for conceptualization and the intersubjective functions that it affords. The paper suggests that the fact that independent infinitives are grammatically ungrounded makes them useful in interactional and textual sequences involving affect display. As the indexical functions of infinitives can be explained from their own morphosyntactic and semantic characteristics, the paper makes the more general claim that there is no synchronic evidence that would support the assumption that such constructions ever evolved, via ellipsis, from finite constructions. Methodologically and theoretically, the paper advocates an approach that takes into account both the social and cognitive nature of language, and promotes the view that Cognitive Grammar offers a flexible, semantically rich starting point for the description of intersubjective meanings conveyed by grammar, when combined with the context-sensitive and microanalytical methodology of Interactional Linguistics.

Coastal toponyms of Iran

Abstract While the domain of toponymy has great research potential, it has so far gained little attention in Iran. The present paper is a typological study on a sample group of toponyms from two different provinces of Gilan (a northern coastal province next to the Caspian Sea) and Bushehr (a southern coastal province beside the Persian Gulf) within the framework of the Australian National Placenames Survey typology proposed by Tent and Blair. The two regions in question are similar in terms of adjacency to a major water body but different in language, culture, and geography. To determine whether the Australian proposed typology is applicable to Iranian toponyms, we collected 60 coastal placenames from Gilan and Bushehr and classified them according to their Specifics and Generics based on Tent and Blair’s (2009, 2011) typology. Further, we compared placenaming motivations and processes in the two regions. The results show that although the Iranian placenames differ from the Australian ones in terms of their structure, they fit well into the typology. Water-related features are among the top motivations for local namers in both Gilan and Bushehr. Nevertheless, Bushehr namers are more motivated by natural features while those from Gilan, in most cases, are non-naturally motivated.

The Late Iron IIA Cylindrical Holemouth Jars and Their Role in the Royal Economy of Early Monarchic Israel

The recent excavations at Ḥorvat Tevet and the finding of ca. 260 Late Iron IIA cylindrical holemouth jars provided an unparalleled opportunity to study these relatively unknown vessels. This article offers a comprehensive analysis of cylindrical holemouth jars and includes a study of typology and morphology, alongside the analysis of provenance and distribution patterns. By shedding new light on these vessels, this paper provides the opportunity to understand and illustrate the economy of early monarchic Israel in a new and innovative way.

Linguistic Hegemony and Latent Typology: The Case of Harappan Script Scholarship

Harappan script scholarship is an archaeological discourse debating on the linguistic nature of the undeciphered signs, popularly known as Indus script. The article argues existence of linguistic hegemony in this scholarship and explicates its root causes, phases, consequences, and the present state of research. The phases are a result of combined influence of multiple parallel developments in the socio-political atmosphere, archaeological theory, technological innovations and changing mindsets. Following the antiquarianism during colonial time, the post-independence motion of imbibing ‘scientific’ approach in all academic faculties persuaded the archaeology domain to become more ‘processual’ and thus produce more ‘reliable’ knowledge. Harappan script decipherment studies based on statistical analysis of sign concordances manifest this scientific turn. These were rooted in the ideas of language and nation relationship, notional needs of developed past, and script considered as ‘essential feature’ of civilisation. The consequence is latency in typology studies of the artefacts which generally forms the basis for material interpretation epistemologies in archaeology. The recent advances in technology, accompanied by postmodern thought elaborate on the materiality, contextuality and typology to some extent. Thus, the hegemonic position assumed by the linguistics has posed serious constraints in this scholarship.

A Third Intermediate Period Stone Stela from Dra Abu el-Nagaلوحة حجرية من منطقة ذراع أبو النجا تعود لعصر الانتقال الثالث

The courtyard of tomb SMDAN 1030—part of the concession of the Spanish archaeological mission Proyecto Djehuty at Dra Abu el-Naga—is an exceptional example of the reuse of funerary space. The materials found within it included a Third Intermediate Period stone stela, SMDAN 5247. This paper describes the secondary archaeological context in which it was found and presents a chronological, typological and prosopographical study of the piece.

Detrital zircon analysis of metasedimentary rocks of the Staré Město Belt, Sudetes: implications for the provenance and evolution of the eastern margin of the Saxothuringian terrane, NE Bohemian Massif

The Staré Město Belt (SMB) in the Central Sudetes forms a Variscan tectonic boundary zone that is located between the Saxothuringian and Brunovistulian terranes of the Bohemian Massif. The three thrust-bounded upper, middle and lower lithotectonic units of the SMB are composed of metasedimentary and Late Cambrian metavolcanic rocks. A new LA-ICPMS zircon geochronology supported by zircon typology studies of the mica schists of the upper unit and the migmatitic paragneisses of the middle unit provides new insights into the provenance and evolution of the SMB. Our new data were obtained from metasedimentary rocks and compared to the previously published zircon ages of the SMB metavolcanic rocks. The results indicate that the metasedimentary and bimodal metavolcanic rocks in the separate lithotectonic units of the SMB originally formed Late Cambrian volcano-sedimentary successions. The source areas of the sedimentary basins studied were dominated by Neoproterozoic and Paleoproterozoic crystalline rocks that were presumably located near the West African Craton of Gondwana. A comparison of the detrital age spectra obtained with those previously published from the region indicates a strong association of the entire SMB with the Saxothuringian terrane of the Bohemian Massif. During partial melting of the metasedimentary rocks of the middle unit of the SMB, Cambrian and older zircon grains were affected by solid-state transformations that caused partial resetting of the U-Pb dates, changes in internal zircon textures and reductions in Th/U ratios.

How can insolvency in tourism be predicted? The case of local accommodation

Purpose The specific typology of local accommodation in Portugal has undergone a huge expansion accompanied by a proliferation in the number of firms and it is crucial that the firms associated with this boom can ensure their survival and remain in the market. The purpose of this paper is to specify an insolvency forecasting model and identify which financial indicators best contribute to forecasting insolvency in local accommodation firms. Design/methodology/approach At the methodological level, the financial data of firms in this sector were initially collected via the SABI database; then the probit model was estimated to perform the analysis of financial variables, with the aim of observing their behaviour and understanding which are crucial in predicting business insolvency. Findings Given the scarcity of studies in this specific typology of accommodation, the results of this paper are relevant and increase the knowledge for the sector. They also enable the identification of financial ratios that deserve greater attention from those responsible for firms in this sector, namely, profitability and liquidity ratios. In short, profitability ratios vary inversely with the probability of insolvency, so that firms with higher levels of net profitability, asset rotation or accumulated profitability have a lower probability of insolvency, with the opposite being true in terms of liquidity, where firms with higher current assets are more likely to become insolvent. Originality/value The novelty of this paper is focused on the urgent need for tourism accommodation stakeholders to prevent or anticipate insolvency and identify which financial indicators best contribute to forecasting insolvency. This research is fundamental, as many cities are considered major tourist destinations and where a high number of tourism businesses are concentrated.

Flow of Resources in a Changing World

The influx of prestigious foreign objects into Southern Scandinavia throughout the Iron Age and Viking Age is well-documented. For example, Roman or Frankish luxury objects would find their way north via trade or through dynastic gift exchanges as part of a conspicuous elite culture.
 Access to crucial raw materials has in many ways been formative for both prehistoric and historic societies. The availability – or lack thereof – of specific resources could determine technological developments, and the need for nonlocal raw materials could shape evolving networks. For prehistoric and early historic times in Southern Scandinavia, the written sources and typological studies have limited value in determining the provenance of various raw materials. A typological deduction based on design can indicate the area of production for certain artefacts, but the raw materials used might originate from elsewhere. Based on scientific methods, this study sets out to map and analyse the geography of the available provenances of materials used in archaeological objects. From where did the raw materials found in Southern Scandinavia originate? Was there a connection between the flow of raw materials and the political situation?

Spatial deixis in Yashar Kemal’s Iron Earth Copper Sky

Mekân dilbilimde zaman, kip, kişi gibi temel bir anlamsal kategoriyi ifade eder. Uzamsal varlıklar mekân içinde Gestalt psikolojideki şekil-zemin ilişkisine benzer bir ilişki aracılığıyla konumlanır veya yer değiştirirler. Şekil durumundaki somut varlıklar, merkezdeki konuşucunun yakınından uzağına doğru yayılan mesafelerde, mekânsal gösterime dayalı sistem aracılığıyla konumlanabilir. Mekânsal gösterimin merkezinde, zemin durumundaki konuşucu “ben” bulunur. Şekil durumundaki somut varlıklara işaret eden mekânsal gösterimler konuşucunun konumu ve kimliğine göre değişir. Bu değişimden dolayı konuşma olayının cereyan ettiği edimbilimsel bağlam mekânsal bilginin tayininde önem kazanır. Kurmaca bir metinde mekânsal gösterimi dilbilimsel yöntemlerle ele alan araştırmaların sayısı azdır. Dilsel ve dil-dışı bağlamın kesişim alanında yer alan mekânsal gösterim nedir? Mekânsal gösterim kodları nelerdir ve ne sıklıkla kullanılır? Türkçede dilbilgisel bir kategori olarak mekânsal gösterim nasıl kodlanır? Çalışmada bu ve benzeri sorulara cevap bulmak, literatüre kavramsal katkı sunmak ve tipolojik çalışmalara veri sağlamak amaçlanmaktadır. Bunun için Yaşar Kemal’in Yer Demir Gök Bakır adlı romanından seçilen, mekânsal gösterim içeren dört yüz on bir (n=411) maddelik örneklem incelenmiş ve sonuçlar betimlenmiştir. Buna göre, “kaynak”tan “hedef”e yönelik hareketi karşılayan gösterimsel fiiller iki yüz otuz (n=230) maddede ve merkeze yakın/uzak anlamlarını veren gösterimsel nominaller yüz seksen bir (n=181) maddede tespit edilmiştir. Mekânsal adlar hâl ekleri, iyelik ekleri ve son-edatlarla öbekleşebilir. Mekânsal gösterim bilgisi yalnızca sözcük, öbek ya da tümcelerden değil; daha yoğun ve doğru şekilde sözbirimlerden çıkarılır. Bu nedenle mekânsal gösterim üzerine yapılacak dilbilimsel çalışmalarda iletişim ortamının edimbilimsel bağlamına ve sözcelerdeki metindilbilimsel gönderimlere dikkat edilmelidir.