Which parts of language are the most stable?
Which parts of language are the most stable?
复制标题
语言的哪些部分最稳定？
DOI：
10.1524/stuf.2008.0023
复制
发表时间：
2008
影响因子：
3.5
通讯作者：
Mikael Parkvall
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Mikael Parkvall
摘要本文提出了一种量化语言特征历时稳定性的算法。有人认为，一个语言特征的存在或不存在是最好的预测语言的家庭是一个稳定的功能。相反，与地理区域的相关性比与家庭的相关性更好的特征是对扩散敏感的特征。将家庭内部的结构异质性与地理区域内的结构异质性进行对比，就可以说明具体特征的不同历时稳定性。虽然本文的主要目的是方法论的探索，而方法当然不是没有问题，我建议，目前的方法可以在语言接触和长期的历史比较研究是有用的。
Abstract This paper presents an algorithm intended to quantify the diachronic stability of linguistic characteristics. It is argued that a linguistic feature whose presence or absence is best predicted by language families is a stable feature. Conversely, a feature that correlates better with geographical areas than with families is one that is sensitive to diffusion. Contrasting the structural heterogeneity within families with that found within geographical areas, it is thus possible to make a statement regarding the varying diachronic stability of specific features. While the main aim of the paper is methodological exploration, and while the method certainly not devoid of problems, I propose that the current approach can be useful in studies of language contact and long-range historical comparison.