Endangered Malayic Languages of Sumatra

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The purpose of this project is to study two rapidly disappearing languages, Jernih-Sarolangun and Lolo-Kecil, spoken in isolated locations in Sumatra (Indonesia). These languages have unique grammatical properties that make them important for the scientific study of cognitive/cultural variation, despite the small number of speakers they have. They display a mixture of grammatical characteristics typical of their language family (Malayic), and grammatical characteristics that are otherwise unknown in frequently studied Malayic languages like Malay/Indonesian.Jernih-Sarolangun and Lolo-Kecil differ from Malay/Indonesian in that most words in the languages have two systematically different forms (technical term: ablaut). A major focus of this project is to document, describe and analyze the different grammatical factors that determine speakers' choice between these forms in each language. For example, in Jernih-Sarolangun, one verb form appears if the verb takes a full noun phrase as an object, or if the verb is used intransitively. The second verb form is employed if the object is a pronoun (which might be null). In comparison, the choice in Lolo Kecil is determined largely by transitivity alone, regardless of whether the object is full noun phrase or pronoun. However, if the verb is understood as contrasting with another verb, the form which normally appears without a direct object can also appear with an overt object. These variations are important in determining the ways that languages can differ from each other and the ways that languages are alike (possibly due to human genetic endowment). This project will sharpen our understanding of these and other grammatical alternations in these endangered languages.The project includes the collection and archiving of samples of each language, and detailed description of the grammar and sound systems of the languages. In addition, theoretical studies will be submitted for journal publication. The archived data will be deposited in a publicly available archive of digital linguistic data. The research is an international collaboration that will be carried out by linguists from the University of Delaware and the Jakarta Field Station of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.