Reconstructing Language Change and Variation

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

People have long been fascinated with spoken language, one of the most salient traits that defines human beings as unique. Language, by its very nature, is prone to change for both cognitive and social reasons. The study of language variation -- how and why it changes, and the fact that an earlier form of the language can be reconstructed based on evidence from its daughters -- is therefore a primary way to understand the cultural history of its speakers. Since the principles of variation, change, and reconstruction methodology can be applied to any group of related languages, the insight gleaned from studying one particular language family can be extrapolated to all others around the globe. When combined with the increasingly rapid advances being made in human language technology, this knowledge is crucial to facilitating American understanding of other cultures, developing new language-based technologies, and remaining technologically competitive in an increasingly interconnected world. The goal of this project is the reconstruction of the Kam-Sui branch of the Kra-Dai language phylum of Southeast Asia, a region in which the Principle Investigator, Dr. Peter Norquest (University of Arizona), has extensive experience. Recent publications, primarily by native and Chinese fieldworkers, make this an attainable goal in a way that has not been possible previously. The research will build on the already completed reconstructions of two sister branches, Proto Tai and Proto Hlai, explicating the historical relationships between them and allowing the inference of demographic expansions in prehistory. It comprises a significant step toward completing a top-level reconstruction of Proto Kra-Dai, which will in turn allow testing the Austro-Tai hypothesis, which postulates a genetic relationship between Austronesian and Kra-Dai. Since the nature of the relationships between the five primary language phyla of Southeast Asia has been a longstanding topic of debate amongst historical linguists, this project will also benefit scholars working on the other three language phyla of the region (Sino-Tibetan, Austroasiatic, and Hmong-Mien), as historical contact will be made amenable to a more refined analysis than has previously been possible. The commitment by the Center for Research on Computational Linguistics (CRCL) to grant advance access to their Kam-Sui database will enable the goals of this project to be rapidly achieved; the reconstructions resulting from this project will then be merged into a more extensive online repository to be made available to the public via the online interface at sealang.net. Both the reconstructions and the practical and theoretical insights gleaned from the project will be released in a series of publications.