Areal sound change and the distributional typology of affricate richness in Eurasia

• Dmitry Nikolaev ^[1] ; Eitan Grossman ^[1]
  1. [1] Hebrew University of Jerusalem

     Hebrew University of Jerusalem

     Israel

     
• Localización: Studies in language: International Journal Sponsored by The Foundation "Foundations of Language", ISSN 0378-4177, Vol. 42, Nº 3, 2018, págs. 562-599
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1075/sl.17043.nik
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• Resumen

  • This paper makes a contribution to phonological typology by investigating the distribution of affricate-rich languages in Eurasia. It shows that affricate-rich and affricate-dense languages cluster areally within Eurasia and have area-specific histories. In particular, the affricate-rich areas of western Eurasia – a ‘European’ area and a Caucasian area – are not the result of contact-induced sound changes or borrowing, while the two affricate-rich areas of eastern Eurasia – the Hindukush area and the Eastern Himalayan area – are the result of contact. Specifically, affricate-dense areas depend on the emergence of retroflex affricates. Moreover, languages outside these affricate-dense areas tend to lose retroflex affricates.