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A companion to ancient Near Eastern languages
Covers the major languages, language families, and writing systems attested in the Ancient Near East Filled with enlightening chapters by noted experts in the field, this book introduces Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) languages and language families used during the time period of roughly 3200 BCE to the second century CE in the areas of Egypt,.
eBook
The Use and Development of the Xinkan Languages
Once spoken only in Santa Rosa Department, Guatemala, the Xinkan language family is unique within Mesoamerica, comprising four closely related languages that are unrelated to any of the other language groups used within the region. Descriptions of Xinkan date to 1770 but are typically only sketches or partial word lists. Not even the community of indigenous people who identify as Xinka today—the last speakers—have had access to a reliable descriptive source on their ancestral tongue. Preserving this endangered communication system in accurate, thorough detail, The Use and Development of the Xinkan Languages presents a historical framework, internal classifications, and both synchronic and diachronic descriptions, incorporating all elements of grammar based on extensive unpublished data collected in the 1970s by Lyle Campbell and Terrence Kaufman.This valuable contribution is enhanced by author Chris Rogers's emphasis on contextualizing the findings. Introducing the languages, Rogers presents important information regarding the social and cultural milieu of the speakers. He also traces a phonological reconstruction of Proto-Xinkan and reconstructs historical morphology and syntax. These revelations are of particular interest because the development of Xinka and the many aspects of Xinka morphosyntax have not been well understood. A sample text, \"Na Mulha Uy,\" is included as well. Solving numerous complex, centuries-old linguistic puzzles, The Use and Development of the Xinkan Languages unlocks new potential for the rediscovery of a rich cultural history.
eBook
The greatest invention : a history of the world in nine mysterious scripts
\"Silvia Ferrara leads a code cracking mission to decipher the hidden truths and histories of our greatest invention--the art of writing\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Variation, contact, and reconstruction in the ancient Indo-European languages : between linguistics and philology
This book reflects the vibrancy of historical linguistics, showing how research on ancient Indo-European languages contributes to the understanding of the principles and patterns of language organization and change, including studies on typologically natural tendencies and cognitive universals.
eBook
Phonological Reconstruction of the Air Matoa Language: A Contribution to the Documentation and Preservation of a Dormant Papuan Language
The Air Matoa language, formerly spoken in the Etna Bay region of Kaimana, West Papua, has been classified as extinct since the death of its last speaker in 2017. The extinction represents a significant loss of linguistic diversity and highlights the urgent need to document endangered languages before they disappear. As such, the phonological system of the Air Matoa Language needs to be documented so that it is recorded as a form of linguistic wealth. This study aims to identify and reconstruct the vowels, consonants, and phonotactics of the Air Matoa language based on data collected in 2008 through interviews with the last three native speakers. Using a qualitative approach, which places the researcher as the primary instrument, the study found that not all concepts in the Swadesh list have lexical equivalents in the Air Matoa language due to cultural differences. Overall, ths work identified five vowel phonemes, including: /i/, /u/, /e/, /o/, and /a/, and fifteen consonant phonemes, including: /b/, /d/, /f/, /ɡ/, /j/, /k/, /m/, /n/, /p/, /r/, /s/, /t/, /w/, /y/, and /ŋ/; syllable forms in the Air Matoa language follow the patterns of V, VC, CV, CVC, and CCV. The results of this study are essential for preserving linguistic and cultural heritage, especially for endangered or extinct languages.
Journal Article
The precursors of Proto-Indo-European : the Indo-Anatolian and Indo-Uralic hypotheses
\"In The Precursors of Proto-Indo-European some of the world's leading experts in historical linguistics shed new light on two hypotheses about the prehistory of the Indo-European language family, the so-called Indo-Anatolian and Indo-Uralic hypotheses. The Indo-Anatolian hypothesis states that the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European family should be viewed as a sister language of 'classical' Proto-Indo-European, the ancestor of all the other, non-Anatolian branches. The common ancestor of all Indo-European languages, including Anatolian, can then be called Proto-Indo-Anatolian. The Indo-Uralic hypothesis states that the closest genetic relative of Indo-European is the Uralic language family, and that both derive from a common ancestor called Proto-Indo-Uralic. The book unravels the history of these hypotheses and scrutinizes the evidence for and against them. Contributors are Stefan H. Bauhaus, Rasmus G. Bj²rn, Dag Haug, Petri Kallio, Simona Klemenéciéc, Alwin Kloekhorst, Frederik Kortlandt, Guus Kroonen, Martin J. Kèummel, Milan Lopuhaèa-Zwakenberg, Alexander Lubotsky, Rosemarie Lèuhr, Michaèel Peyrot, Tijmen Pronk, Andrei Sideltsev, Michiel de Vaan, Mikhail Zhivlov\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
The Ancient Languages of Syria-Palestine and Arabia
This book, derived from the acclaimed Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World's Ancient Languages, describes the ancient languages of Syria-Palestine and Arabia, for the convenience of students and specialists working in that area. Each chapter of the work focuses on an individual language or, in some instances, a set of closely related varieties of a language. Providing a full descriptive presentation, each of these chapters examines the writing system(s), phonology, morphology, syntax and lexicon of that language, and places the language within its proper linguistic and historical context. The volume brings together an international array of scholars, each a leading specialist in ancient language study. While designed primarily for scholars and students of linguistics, this work will prove invaluable to all whose studies take them into the realm of ancient language.
eBook