Doctoral Dissertation Research: Degree semantics in Washo and cross-linguistic variation

瓦肖语是一种美洲土著语言，分布在加州和内华达州的太浩湖地区。它是高度濒危的，只有少数老年人的母语离开。Washo使用两种策略来表达对象的比较（参见。英语：约翰比玛丽高）：连词比较，两个包含反义词的独立分句并列;处所比较，比较的标准是用处所后置词或后缀来标记。虽然这两种比较策略在世界语言中的类型学上相当普遍，但这些结构在形式语言学中仍然研究不足。在Christopher Kennedy博士的指导下，Ryan Bochnak先生将在Washo社区与剩余的一些发言者进行主要的实地考察，以调查语言中两种比较结构的语义特性。Bochnak先生将收集翻译，叙述和对构建的例子的判断，以更全面地了解Washo的比较和与学位相关的构建。特别感兴趣的是比较结构中的标量属性的解释，以及它们与修饰语和测量术语的（不）可接受性。收集的所有数据将由Bochnak先生进行数字记录和转录。Washo数据的分析将告知的问题，在何种程度上存在一个共同的语义比较跨语言，尽管在形态和syntax.This研究的分歧如下最近和不断增长的趋势，使用数据从未充分研究的语言测试语义理论对更广泛的语言。此外，这一项目将对一种高度濒危语言的永久记录作出重大贡献，所收集的材料将以在线数据库中的启发式会议注释录音的形式提供给Washo社区。

Washo is a Native American language spoken in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada. It is highly endangered, with only a handful of elderly native speakers left. Washo makes use of two strategies for expressing comparison of objects (cf. English: John is taller than Mary): conjoined comparison, where two independent clauses containing antonyms are juxtaposed; and locative comparison, where the standard of comparison is marked with a locative postposition or suffix. While both strategies for comparison are typologically quite common in the world's languages, these constructions remain under-studied in formal linguistics. Under the direction of Dr. Christopher Kennedy, Mr. Ryan Bochnak will conduct primary fieldwork in the Washo community with some of the remaining speakers to investigate the semantic properties of the two comparison constructions in the language. Data will be collected through elicitation sessions where Mr. Bochnak will collect translations, narratives, and judgements on constructed examples to arrive at a more complete picture of comparisons and degree-related constructions in Washo. Of particular interest is the interpretation of scalar properties in comparison constructions, as well as their (un)acceptability with modifiers and measure terms. All data collected will be digitally recorded and transcribed by Mr. Bochnak. The analysis of the Washo data will inform the question of to what extent there exists a common semantics for comparison across languages, despite divergences in morphology and syntax.This research follows a recent and growing trend of using data from under-studied languages to test semantic theories against a broader range of languages. In addition, this project will make a significant contribution to the permanent record of a highly endangered language, with the materials collected being made available to the Washo community in the form of annotated recordings of elicitation sessions in an online database.