CAREER: Grammatical change and reconstruction

理解语言变化背后的抽象认知原则一直是语言学研究的一个主题。然而，大部分关于语言变化的工作都集中在主要的世界语言上，这在很大程度上是因为它们往往有很长的书面历史。此外，采用比较重建的研究集中在识别和重建没有记录的原始语言的单词和声音。该项目通过研究研究较少研究的语言和语系的变化，扩大了语言变化理论的经验基础，从而承担了缺乏书面记录的语言所带来的挑战，在某些情况下，以前一直没有得到充分研究或完全没有记录。 它还通过开发重建语法的方法将注意力从识别原始语言的单词和声音转移到将这些方法应用于较少描述的语言，以进一步拓宽我们对语言变化的理解。该项目对语言变化理论的主要方法论贡献是开发重建分布限制的研究实践。该项目的重点是跨语言罕见的结构，包括灵活的词类的分布特性;转移的动词，索引的人和数量的收件人参数的suppletive根;和一个重点建设，标志着名词成分的紧张。在追求这些目标的过程中，该项目让团队成员参与记录以前未记录的语言。该项目还为土著研究人员提供培训机会，使他们为记录研究不足和濒危语言做好准备。该项目直接产生的所有语言文档都将安全地存储在语言档案库中，并免费提供给社区成员、语言学家和任何其他感兴趣的各方。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

Understanding the abstract, cognitive principles that underlie language change has long been a topic of linguistic research. However, the bulk of work on language change has focused on major world languages--in large part because they tend to have long written histories. In addition, studies employing comparative reconstruction have concentrated on identifying and recreating the words and sounds of undocumented proto-languages. This project broadens the empirical basis for theories of language change by examining change in less studied languages and language families, thereby taking on the challenge posed by languages that lack written records and, in some cases, that have previously remained understudied or entirely undocumented. It also shifts attention from identifying the words and sounds of proto-languages by developing methods for reconstructing grammar, and it applies those methods to less-described languages in order to further broaden our understanding of language change.The project’s primary methodological contribution to theories of language change is to develop research practices for reconstructing distributional restrictions. The project focuses on the distributional properties of cross-linguistically rare structures, including flexible word classes; suppletive roots for verbs of transfer that index the person and number of the recipient argument; and a focus construction that marks tense on nominal constituents. In the pursuit of these goals, the project engages team members to document previously undocumented languages. The project also provides training opportunities for indigenous researchers to prepare them for documenting understudied and endangered languages. All of the language documentation resulting directly from this project are to be stored securely in a language archive, and made freely available to community members, linguists, and any other interested parties.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.