Endangered Malayic Languages of Sumatra

这个项目的目的是研究两种迅速消失的语言--Jernih-Sarolangun和Lolo-Kecil，这两种语言在印度尼西亚苏门答腊岛的偏远地区使用。这些语言具有独特的语法特性，这使得它们对于认知/文化变异的科学研究非常重要，尽管它们的说话者很少。它们表现出典型的语法特征(马来语)和在经常研究的马来语/印尼语中未知的语法特征的混合体。Jernih-Sarolangun和Lolo-Kecil与马来语/印尼语的不同之处在于，这些语言中的大多数单词有两种系统不同的形式(专业术语：ablaut)。本项目的一个主要重点是记录、描述和分析决定说话者在每种语言中选择这些形式的不同语法因素。例如，在Jernih-Sarolangun中，如果动词以完整的名词短语作为宾语，或者如果动词用作及物动词，则会出现一种动词形式。如果宾语是代词(可能是空的)，则使用第二种动词形式。相比之下，Lolo Kecil的选择在很大程度上是由及物性决定的，无论宾语是完整的名词短语还是代词。然而，如果动词被理解为相对于另一个动词，通常不带直接宾语的形式也可以与显性宾语一起出现。这些差异对于决定语言之间的差异和语言的相似之处(可能是由于人类的遗传天赋)非常重要。这个项目将加深我们对这些濒危语言的这些和其他语法变化的了解。该项目包括收集和存档每种语言的样本，并详细描述这些语言的语法和语音系统。此外，理论研究将提交期刊发表。存档的数据将存放在公开可用的数字语言数据档案中。这项研究是一项国际合作，将由特拉华大学和德国莱比锡马克斯·普朗克进化人类学研究所雅加达野外站的语言学家进行。

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.