Typological Variation Research Articles

TYPOLOGICAL AND STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ERGONYMS WITH ANTROPONYMIC ELEMENT (case study of the names of trade and service enterprises of Izhevsk)

The high density of ergonyms in the urban onomasticon, as well as their social orientation, has contributed to the constant scientific interest in these linguistic units. The article presents the results of studying ergonyms with an anthroponymic element of commercial enterprises and service companies located in the city of Izhevsk. The authors analyze the typological characteristics of ergonyms, their structural features. The problems of compatibility between business name and company sector is under consideration as well. When selecting material for research, the method of continuous sampling was used. The main method used to study is the method of scientific description, which involves direct observation, systematization, classification and interpretation. Based on the results of the description of the constituents of the four groups, a conclusion is made about the high typological variation of units and their structural diversity. Graphic ways to display a business name are characterized by the use of the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets including letters, punctuation marks and different symbols.

L’invenzione come forma di resistenza. Le attrezzature, i servizi e la produzione nelle Alpi

As Werner Bätzing (2003) points out in his book on Alpine geography, producers who do not emigrate and stay in the Alps do not act from an economic perspective but for social and cultural reasons. To resist the climatic, morphological and settlement difficulties, Alpine producers have always been driven to innovate, experimenting with new models, combining various forms of activity and independently creating the services necessary for their activity and social life. Today, after decades characterised by the abandonment of productive activities in the mountains, inventions as a form of resistance is once again one of the main themes of contemporary Alpine spaces. This chapter explores the issue of innovations in equipment, services and production in the Alps from two points of view. The first is that of a new generation of producers, entrepreneurs and project developers who are changing the way of producing in the mountains, by creating networks, sectors and services in the territory. The second is that of architects who experiment with new typological variations and constructive processes on the theme of production buildings in line with recent developments in ways of producing and working.

Intonations of Two Kuwaiti Dialects

Evidence of differences in intonation patterns among Arabic dialects is arising, along with known values of variation in supra-segmental typology. This study is a phonological and acoustic attempt to investigate the hypothesis of the occurrence of variation in the intonation of two Kuwaiti dialects—more specifically in the pitch of these two dialects, namely, the modern Kuwaiti dialect of Arabic and Kuwaiti Bedouin Arabic. The study investigates the effect of gender as well on the pitch levels. The study depends on spontaneous data collected through a series of recordings to identify the existence of intonation differences. The results of the study show that the pitch is generally higher in Kuwaiti Bedouin Arabic. In addition, the researchers found segmental differences, evident in vowels, more than consonants. The results could aid linguists in understanding differences in dialectal Arabic speech.

Language classification, language contact and Andean prehistory: The North

AbstractThe northern half of the Andes—from Venezuela to Northern Peru—has seen dramatic losses of language diversity since the 16th century. Even so, the region's linguistic fabric is complex and multifaceted, and the impression of relatively low levels of diversity vis‐à‐vis Amazonia is to a perhaps considerable extent the result of different post‐conquest trajectories rather than a reflection of pre‐existing differences. As in Amazonia, branches of widespread families—Chibchan, Quechuan, but also far western outliers of Cariban—coexist with more local language families—principally Barbacoan and Chocoan—as well as a multitude of isolates, in particular on the eastern lowland‐facing slopes of the Andes. Recent and ongoing projects of language documentation and description, as well as reconstitution of colonial sources, are contributing to profiling the linguistic diversity more sharply and more securely. Even at the present state of research, it is patent that the patchwork of languages of the Northern Andes, where evidence is available, evinces strong hallmarks of micro‐ and meso‐level language contact, leading to the emergence of distinctive profiles on regional levels that call into question the idea of a reified ‘Andean’ language type. Furthermore, there is a striking signal of spatially structured typological variation throughout the Andes that is in need of explanation and interdisciplinary contextualization. This article surveys the state of the art on language classification and language contact studies for the Northern Andes, and also discusses how they may inform an interdisciplinary prehistory.

Sinitic as a typological sandwich: revisiting the notions of Altaicization and Taicization

Abstract Decades of works dedicated to the description of (previously) lesser-known Sinitic languages have effectively dispelled the common myth that these languages share a single “universal Chinese grammar”. Yet, the underlying cause of their grammatical variation is still a matter for debate. This paper focuses on typological variation across Sinitic varieties. Through comparing the typological profiles of various Sinitic languages with those of their Altaic and Mainland Southeast Asian (MSEA) neighbors, we discuss to what extent the variation within the Sinitic branch can be attributed to areal diffusion. Taking into account over 360 language varieties of seven different genetic affiliations (Sinitic, Turkic, Mongolic, Tungusic, Hmong-Mien, Tai-Kadai, Austroasiatic) and 30 linguistic features, we conduct a typological survey with the aid of the phylogenetic program NeighborNet. Our results suggest that convergence towards their non-Sinitic neighbors has likely played a pivotal role in the typological diversity of Sinitic languages. Based primarily on their degree of Altaic/MSEA influence, the Sinitic varieties in our database are classified into four areal groups, namely 1) Northern, 2) Transitional, 3) Central Southeastern, 4) Far Southern. This classification scheme reflects the intricate interplay between areal convergence, regional innovations, and retention of archaic features.

From language to meteorology: kinesis in weather events and weather verbs across Sinitic languages

Interactions among the environment, humans and language underlie many of the most pressing challenges we face today. This study investigates the use of different verbs to encode various weather events in Sinitic languages, a language family spoken over a wide range of climates and with 3000 years of continuous textual documentation. We propose to synergise the many concepts of kinesis that grew from Aristotle’s original ideas to account for the correlation between meteorological events and their linguistic encoding. It is observed that the two most salient key factors of weather events, i.e., mass of weather substances and speed of weather processes, are the two contributing components of kinetic energy. Leveraging the linguistic theory that kinesis underpins conceptualisation of verb classes, this paper successfully accounts for the selection of verbs for different meteorological events in all Sinitic languages in terms of both language variations and changes. Specifically, weather events with bigger weather substances and faster weather processes tend to select action verbs with high transitivity. The kinesis driven accounts also predict the typological variations between verbal and nominal constructions for weather expressions. The correlation between kinesis and the selection of verbs is further corroborated by an experiment on the perception of native Sinitic language speakers, as well as analyses of regional variations of verb selections that do not follow general typological patterns. It is found that such typological exceptions generally correspond to variations in meteorological patterns. By explicating the pivotal role of kinesis in bridging weather events and the linguistic encoding of weather, this study underlines the role of cognition as the conceptualisation of physical and sensory inputs to sharable knowledge encoded by language.

Sémantique de la grammaire, parcours typologiques et changement historique

Abstract This article revisits the notion of distinctive features used in linguistic semantics, through which this discipline converges with semiotics. Applied to grammar, traits make it possible to characterize notional categories and the links between them. These links are empirically demonstrated by the regularities in typological variation and in diachronic evolution. New data are provided explaining the passage from one category to another, in particular from indefinites to negation proper. The approach makes it possible to identify the features and notional categories that structure the semantics of grammar across languages.

Muscle fiber typology is associated with the incidence of overreaching in response to overload training.

The aim of this study was to identify markers of training stress and characteristics of middle-distance runners related to the incidence of overreaching following overload training. Twenty-four highly trained middle-distance runners [n = 16 male, peak oxygen uptake (V̇o2peak) = 73.3 (4.3) mL·kg·min-1; n = 8 female, V̇o2peak = 63.2 (3.4) mL·kg·min-1] completed 3 wk of normal training (NormTr), 3 wk of high-volume training (HVTr; a 10%, 20%, and 30% increase in training volume each successive week from NormTr), and 1 wk of taper (TapTr; 55% exponential reduction in training volume from HVTr week 3). Before and immediately after each training period, an incremental treadmill-running test was performed, while resting metabolic rate (RMR), subjective fatigue responses, and various resting blood biomarkers were assessed. Muscle fiber typology of the gastrocnemius was estimated by quantification of muscle carnosine using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and expressed as a z-score relative to a nonathlete control group. Twelve runners were classified as functionally overreached (FOR) following HVTr [decreased running time to exhaustion (TTE)], whereas the other 12 were classified as acutely fatigued (AF; no decrease in running TTE). The FOR group did not demonstrate systematic alterations in RMR, resting blood biomarkers, or submaximal exercise responses, compared with the AF group. The gastrocnemius carnosine z-score was significantly higher in the FOR group (-0.44 ± 0.57) than in the AF group (-1.25 ± 0.49, P = 0.004, d = 1.53) and was also negatively correlated with changes in running TTE from pre- to post-HVTr (r = -0.55, P = 0.005) and from pre-HVTr to post-TapTr (r = -0.64, P = 0.008). Muscle fiber typology is related to the incidence of overreaching and performance supercompensation following increased training volume and a taper.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Variability in the performance responses following an overload training period and subsequent taper was associated with the variation in the muscle fiber typology of the gastrocnemius. Runners with an estimated higher proportion of type I fibers (i.e., lower carnosine z-score) were able to maintain performance in response to an overload training period and subsequently achieve a superior performance supercompensation. These findings show that muscle fiber typology contributes to the variability in performance responses following training.

Baitul Rahmah: a Final Evolution of The Malay Classical Style Amidst Change

The paper highlights the significance and position of the Baitul Rahmah, an early 20th-century mansion in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia, as a key milestone of stylistic evolvement of local vernacular architecture. Its form embodies, a typological variation at a time of growing Colonial imperialism, while its grammar and language refers to early modern stylistic expression reflecting the fundamental principles of indigenous architecture. The Baitul Rahmah brings to light how a final evolution and epitome of the vernacular projects an identity as a cosmopolitan manifestation. Its internal ornamentation recalls the stylized forms of local motifs and reflect a form of control and minimalism; i.e. an ‘ornamental decorum’. Its wood-carved expressions seem stylised into increasing ‘modernised’ simplication and modularity, while its masonry- timber structure reflect the identity of hybridity in architecture which symbolise the tensions of local communities as they step into the 1900s into a global context.

External Information Sharing on Health Forums: An Exploration

Online health forums are an important avenue for receiving support and learning about fellow patients' experiences with similar diagnoses. We seek to characterize the external information shared (via web links) on health forums as a proxy to participants' information needs. For this purpose, using a dataset of web links shared publicly on a lung cancer forum over a period of 16 years, we perform a comparative analysis with three different website typologies, uncovering a diverse ecosystem of websites. We also examine typological variations as this forum gains and then loses popularity over time.

La diversidad tipológica de los hornos tradicionales de calcinación de yeso en España

El objetivo del artículo es dar a conocer una primera clasificación tipológica de la gran variedad de hornos tradicionales de yeso que aún se conservan en España y que han sido empleados históricamente para la producción de yeso en polvo. Tras la realización del “Estudio del yeso tradicional en España” para Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural de España y de investigaciones posteriores, ha sido posible localizar, visitar y dimensionar un número destacado de hornos de yeso, hoy en día en desuso salvo casos puntuales. En todos ellos, el proceso de calcinación se ha fundamentado en el mismo principio, la deshidratación de la piedra de yeso, pero en conjunto presentan diferencias constructivas, morfológicas y funcionales que se han analizado en detalle. Además, los resultados obtenidos evidencian la existencia de variaciones tipológicas a nivel geográfico así como diferencias en la carga de los hornos y la producción obtenida.

Monotonicity as an effective theory of morphosyntactic variation

One of the major goals of linguistics is to delineate the possible range of variation across languages. Recent work has identified a surprising number of typological gaps in a variety domains. In morphology, this includes stem suppletion, person pronoun syncretism, case syncretism, and noun stem allomorphy. In morphosyntax, only a small number of all conceivable Person Case Constraints and Gender Case Constraints are found. While various proposals have been put forward for each individual domain, few attempts have been made to give a unified explanation of the limited typology across all domains. This paper presents a novel account that deliberately abstracts away from the usual details of grammatical description in order to provide a domain-agnostic explanation of the limits of typological variation. This is achieved by combining prominence hierarchies, e.g. for person and case, with mappings from those hierarchies to the relevant output forms. As the mappings are required to be monotonic, only a fraction of all conceivable patterns can be instantiated.

Gut bacteria are critical for optimal muscle function: a potential link with glucose homeostasis.

Gut microbiota is involved in the development of several chronic diseases, including diabetes, obesity, and cancer, through its interactions with the host organs. It has been suggested that the cross talk between gut microbiota and skeletal muscle plays a role in different pathological conditions, such as intestinal chronic inflammation and cachexia. However, it remains unclear whether gut microbiota directly influences skeletal muscle function. In this work, we studied the impact of gut microbiota modulation on mice skeletal muscle function and investigated the underlying mechanisms. We determined the consequences of gut microbiota depletion after treatment with a mixture of a broad spectrum of antibiotics for 21 days and after 10 days of natural reseeding. We found that, in gut microbiota-depleted mice, running endurance was decreased, as well as the extensor digitorum longus muscle fatigue index in an ex vivo contractile test. Importantly, the muscle endurance capacity was efficiently normalized by natural reseeding. These endurance changes were not related to variation in muscle mass, fiber typology, or mitochondrial function. However, several pertinent glucose metabolism markers, such as ileum gene expression of short fatty acid chain and glucose transporters G protein-coupled receptor 41 and sodium-glucose cotransporter 1 and muscle glycogen level, paralleled the muscle endurance changes observed after treatment with antibiotics for 21 days and reseeding. Because glycogen is a key energetic substrate for prolonged exercise, modulating its muscle availability via gut microbiota represents one potent mechanism that can contribute to the gut microbiota-skeletal muscle axis. Taken together, our results strongly support the hypothesis that gut bacteria are required for host optimal skeletal muscle function.

Valence-changing morphology via lexical rule composition

I describe an analysis of valence-changing verbal morphology implemented as a library extending the LinGO Grammar Matrix customization system. This analysis is based on decomposition of these operations into rule components, which in turn are expressed as lexical rule supertypes that implement specific, isolatable constraints. I also show how common variations of these constraints can be abstracted and parameterized by their axes of variation. I then demonstrate how these constraints can be recomposed in various combinations to provide broad coverage of the typological variation of valence change found in the world’s languages. I evaluate the coverage of this library on five held-out world languages that exhibit these phenomena, achieving 79% coverage and 2% overgeneration.

Nominalized clauses in the Grammar Matrix

We present an analysis of clausal nominalization developed in the context of the LinGO Grammar Matrix (Bender et al., 2002, 2010) to support the addition of subordinate clauses to the grammar customization framework. In particular, we examine the typological variation of nominalized clausal complements and nominalized clausal modifiers. To account for the range of variation in nominalized clauses across the world's languages and to support linguists in exploring alternative analyses, we propose a flexible library of analyses, allowing nominalization of the clause to occur at the V, VP or S level.

Typological variation across Mandarin dialects: An areal perspective with a quantitative approach

AbstractThis study explores the range and diversity of the typological features of Mandarin, the largest dialect group within the Sinitic branch of the Sino-Tibetan family. Feeding the typological data of 42 Sinitic varieties into the phylogenetic program NeighborNet, we obtained network diagrams suggesting a north-south divide in the Mandarin dialect group, where dialects within the Amdo Sprachbund cluster at one end and those in the Far Southern area cluster at the other end, highlighting the impact of language contact on the typological profiles of various Mandarin dialects.

A compounding analysis of plural reduplication

The paper offers an analysis of plural reduplication in Japanese. I argue that reduplicated nouns are antonym compounds that have two opposite values of number features. Each member of a reduplicated noun is associated with an interpretable valued number feature, and values of the number features must not be identical to each other. I propose that two opposite values on the top node of a reduplicated noun becomes an uninterpretable valued feature in Japanese. As a result, reduplicated nouns in Japanese are not specified as singular or plural because uninterpretable features do not have any semantic import. The proposal makes the prediction that reduplicated nouns are similar to bare common nouns in the sense that they do not bear the specification of singular-plural distinction. I show this prediction is borne out. The proposal also leaves room for an analysis of typological variation of plural reduplication.

A compounding analysis of plural reduplication

The paper offers an analysis of plural reduplication in Japanese. I argue that reduplicated nouns are antonym compounds that have two opposite values of number features. Each member of a reduplicated noun is associated with an interpretable valued number feature, and values of the number features must not be identical to each other. I propose that two opposite values on the top node of a reduplicated noun becomes an uninterpretable valued feature in Japanese. As a result, reduplicated nouns in Japanese are not specified as singular or plural because uninterpretable features do not have any semantic import. The proposal makes the prediction that reduplicated nouns are similar to bare common nouns in the sense that they do not bear the specification of singular-plural distinction. I show this prediction is borne out. The proposal also leaves room for an analysis of typological variation of plural reduplication.

Alignment and locality in the typology of affixing language games

Abstract This paper contributes to the discussion around the (extra-)grammatical status of language games (or ludlings). We collected over 60 games which are based on the affixation of a dummy morpheme, which is infixed and iterated in most cases. While some are obviously reduplicative, closer investigation reveals that all the games involving iterativity function like reduplication. Our optimality-theoretic analysis concentrates on the explanation of shape, segmental content, placement and iterativity of the dummy affix and employs only constraints standardly assumed in the literature on reduplication. We show that no ludling-specific constraints or stipulations are necessary to account for this typology and make predictions on limitations that presumably apply to typological variation with regard to language games. Ludlings are thus variations of grammatical constraint rankings.

The Structure of Verbless Sentences in Northern Kurdish

In the study of syntax, a special attention is given to the verb as the main constituent in the structure of the predicate. However, there exists some constructions in which a noun, adjective or an adverb are the main constituents in the predicate. In Kurdish literature, there is a debate on the analysis of these verbless constructions. On one hand, they are considered nominal sentences which do not contain a verbal element. On the other hand, they are considered small verbal sentences in which the agreement markers on the predicate act as verbal element. The study is an attempt to analyse the structure of these verbless constructions within the framework of minimal program (Chomsky, 1995) in one of the widely spoken variety of Kurdish, Northern Kurmanji, Bahdinani subdialect. It contributes to resolve the existent debate in Kurdish linguistics concerning the structure of these constructions. Additionally, it contributes to the typological variation in the syntactic properties of these constructions in Kurdish.