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<P><BR>Dear friends,</P>
<P>Though it is difficult to prove what is complex/difficult and what is simple, linguists have long believed that agglutinative langugages have simpler morphology than inflecting languages. What more, transition from agglutinating pattern to inflecting pattern has been considered a transition from simpler to complex. </P>
<P>My experience in contact linguistics has been that [minority] languages under the presssure of contact develop redundant and parallel structures and thus contact makes the grammar of these languages complex and not simpler.Kharia (Munda), and Kurux (Dravidian) are the two languages that have complex morphology today than what they had prior to the contact.</P>
<P>Anvita Abbi<BR></P></DIV>
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<DIV>Dr. Anvita Abbi </DIV>
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<DIV>Professor of Linguistics</DIV>
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<DIV>Center of Linguistics and English</DIV>
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<DIV>School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies</DIV>
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<DIV>Jawaharlal Nehru University</DIV>
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<DIV>New Delhi 110067, India</DIV>
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<DIV></DIV>>From: Tasaku Tsunoda <TSUNODA@TOOYOO.L.U-TOKYO.AC.JP>
<DIV></DIV>>Reply-To: Tasaku Tsunoda <TSUNODA@TOOYOO.L.U-TOKYO.AC.JP>
<DIV></DIV>>To: LINGTYP@LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
<DIV></DIV>>Subject: language shift
<DIV></DIV>>Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 15:45:34 +0900
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>21 March 2003
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Dear Colleagues,
<DIV></DIV>> Re: Language shift and morphological complexity
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> I am writing to seek your advice.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> In general, the causes for language shift are extra-linguistic, such as
<DIV></DIV>>economic and political factors. But I am interested to know if there is any
<DIV></DIV>>correlation between language shift and morphological complexity.
<DIV></DIV>> There are at least two directions of language shift:
<DIV></DIV>> (1) from a more complex language to a simpler one
<DIV></DIV>> (2) from a simpler one to a more complex one
<DIV></DIV>>Most instances of language shift appear to be of Type (1), e.g. a shift from
<DIV></DIV>>Scottish Gaelic to English, and from an Australian Aboriginal language to
<DIV></DIV>>English. It seems that, in language shift situations throughout the word,
<DIV></DIV>>the target language is (almost always ?) morphologically the simpler, e.g.
<DIV></DIV>>English in Scotland and Australia, and Spanish in South America.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> Now, my questions are the following.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Question 1
<DIV></DIV>> Are there any attested instances of Type (2) ? Are there any references ?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Question 2
<DIV></DIV>> If (2) is attested, then are attested instances of Type (1) more numerous
<DIV></DIV>>than those of Type (2) ? That is, is there any correlation between (i) the
<DIV></DIV>>frequency of language shift and (ii) morphological complexity ? (I would
<DIV></DIV>>imagine that (1) would be more common than (2).) Are there any references ?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Question 3
<DIV></DIV>> If (2) is attested, then does Type (1) progress faster than Type (2) ?
<DIV></DIV>>That is, is there any correlation between (i) the speed of language shift
<DIV></DIV>>and (ii) morphological complexity ? (I would imagine that (1) progresses
<DIV></DIV>>faster than (2).) Are there any references ?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> I look forward to receiving your advice.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Best wishes,
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Tasaku Tsunoda
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>--
<DIV></DIV>>Tasaku Tsunoda
<DIV></DIV>>Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology
<DIV></DIV>>University of Tokyo
<DIV></DIV>>Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
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<DIV></DIV>>Phone: +81-3-5841-3790
<DIV></DIV>>Fax: +81-3-5803-2784
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