Colloquium 065: One-soon Her (National Chengchi University)
NTHU Linguistics Spring, 2019 Colloquium Series present...
Speaker：One-soon Her (National Chengchi University)
Title：A single Origin Hypothesis for Numeral Classifiers in Asia, Europe, and the Pacific: Tai or Chinese?
Time：12:30pm-14:00pm, May 10, 2019
Venue：HSS Building, Room B305
Abstract：A GIS world map of 500 plus languages with numeral classifiers shows a biased pattern of distribution similar to those in a diffusion scheme, where this feature radiates outward from a clear center of clustering in Southeast Asia, with classifier languages gradually thinning out and with less intensive use of classifiers (Gil 2013, Her et al. 2015). A hypothesis of a single origin thus seems rather appealing to account for this particular pattern of distribution. We thus propose that numeral classifiers developed indigenously in one language group initially and all other classifier languages acquired this feature via language contact. Based on the evidence available, we argue that, between the two competing candidates, Tai and Chinese, the latter is more likely the single origin. We have for now limited the scope to Asia, Europe, and the Pacific, thus excluding Africa and the Americas from this hypothesis.
Speaker：One-soon Her (National Chengchi University)
Title：A single Origin Hypothesis for Numeral Classifiers in Asia, Europe, and the Pacific: Tai or Chinese?
Time：12:30pm-14:00pm, May 10, 2019
Venue：HSS Building, Room B305
Abstract：A GIS world map of 500 plus languages with numeral classifiers shows a biased pattern of distribution similar to those in a diffusion scheme, where this feature radiates outward from a clear center of clustering in Southeast Asia, with classifier languages gradually thinning out and with less intensive use of classifiers (Gil 2013, Her et al. 2015). A hypothesis of a single origin thus seems rather appealing to account for this particular pattern of distribution. We thus propose that numeral classifiers developed indigenously in one language group initially and all other classifier languages acquired this feature via language contact. Based on the evidence available, we argue that, between the two competing candidates, Tai and Chinese, the latter is more likely the single origin. We have for now limited the scope to Asia, Europe, and the Pacific, thus excluding Africa and the Americas from this hypothesis.