Transcript Loanword Typology: Verbal Borrowings

Loanword Typology:
Verbal Borrowings
Jan WOHLGEMUTH
Max Planck Institute
for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Basic goal: contribute to improving the
methodology for testing hypotheses about
historical relatedness between languages
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project


Basic goal: contribute to improving the
methodology for testing hypotheses about
historical relatedness between languages
Means: systematic studies of attested
diachronic changes in languages worldwide:
 typology of language change
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project


Basic goal: contribute to improving the
methodology for testing hypotheses about
historical relatedness between languages
Means: systematic studies of attested
diachronic changes in languages worldwide:
 typology of language change
–
–
–
–
Paths of change
Rates of change
Degree of stability of grammatical and lexical items
Effects of language contact
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Two projects in Leipzig:
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Two projects in Leipzig:
–
Handbook of Sound Change (Juliette Blevins)
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Two projects in Leipzig:
–
–
Handbook of Sound Change (Juliette Blevins)
Handbook of Lexical Borrowing (Martin
Haspelmath & Uri Tadmor)
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Handbook of Lexical Borrowing (Martin
Haspelmath & Uri Tadmor)
Basic questions:
– What kinds of borrowings are common, what
kinds are unusual? Under what circumstances?
– What is the direction of borrowing?
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Degree of lexical borrowability
–
Which word meanings are likely to be borrowed,
and which are likely to resist borrowing?
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Degree of lexical borrowability
–
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Which word meanings are likely to be borrowed,
and which are likely to resist borrowing?
Thomason & Kaufman (1988: 77):
“With a minimum of cultural pressure we expect only
lexical borrowing, and then only nonbasic vocabulary.”
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Degree of lexical borrowability
–
–
Which word meanings are likely to be borrowed,
and which are likely to resist borrowing?
Thomason & Kaufman (1988: 77):
“With a minimum of cultural pressure we expect only
lexical borrowing, and then only nonbasic vocabulary.”
Borrowing of basic vocabulary starts with (3) on the
borrowing scale:
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Degree of lexical borrowability
–
–
Which word meanings are likely to be borrowed,
and which are likely to resist borrowing?
Thomason & Kaufman (1988: 77):
“With a minimum of cultural pressure we expect only
lexical borrowing, and then only nonbasic vocabulary.”
Borrowing of basic vocabulary starts with (3) on the
borrowing scale:
(1) Casual contact; (2) slightly more intensive contact:
(3) more intense contact; (4) strong cultural pressure:
(5) very strong cultural pressure
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Degree of lexical borrowability
“basic vocabulary” intentionally left undefined by
Thomason & Kaufman.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Degree of lexical borrowability
“basic vocabulary” intentionally left undefined by
Thomason & Kaufman.
Often defined as the list of “basic” words by Swadesh.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Degree of lexical borrowability
“basic vocabulary” intentionally left undefined by
Thomason & Kaufman.
Often defined as the list of “basic” words by Swadesh.
Swadesh’s list is based on intuitions, not on any
systematic research.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Degree of lexical borrowability
“basic vocabulary” intentionally left undefined by
Thomason & Kaufman.
Often defined as the list of “basic” words by Swadesh.
Swadesh’s list is based on intuitions, not on any
systematic research.
 Lexical borrowability needs to be studied
empirically in a systematic fashion using a worldwide sample of languages,
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Implementation
–
Study based on a fixed list of lexical meanings.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Implementation
–
Study based on a fixed list of lexical meanings.

An adapted version of the 1300-word list of the
Intercontinental Dictionaries Series (IDS), based on
Buck 1949.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Implementation
–
Study based on a fixed list of lexical meanings.

–
An adapted version of the 1300-word list of the
Intercontinental Dictionaries Series (IDS), based on
Buck 1949.
Comparison across a wide range of languages.

Over 30 languages from all continents, each covered by
one contributor, who will create a data set and a
discussion chapter
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Implementation
–
Study based on a fixed list of lexical meanings.

–
An adapted version of the 1300-word list of the
Intercontinental Dictionaries Series (IDS), based on
Buck 1949.
Comparison across a wide range of languages.

Over 30 languages from all continents, each covered by
one contributor, who will create a data set and a
discussion chapter; e.g. Christopher Schmidt: Japanese
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Implementation
–
Study based on a fixed list of lexical meanings.

–
An adapted version of the 1300-word list of the
Intercontinental Dictionaries Series (IDS), based on
Buck 1949.
Comparison across a wide range of languages.


Over 30 languages from all continents, each covered by
one contributor, who will create a data set and a
discussion chapter; e.g. Christopher Schmidt: Japanese
Each data set will identify each word as borrowed or not
borrowed, giving the source language if applicable.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Planned results
–
For each lexical meaning, the cross-linguistic
percentage of loanwords will be established. The
ranking yields a list from the most resistant to the
most borrowable of the ca. 1300 meanings.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Planned results
–
–
For each lexical meaning, the cross-linguistic
percentage of loanwords will be established. The
ranking yields a list from the most resistant to the
most borrowable of the ca. 1300 meanings.
If the sample is representative, this ranking may
indicate a structural universal of borrowing.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Planned results
–
–
–
For each lexical meaning, the cross-linguistic
percentage of loanwords will be established. The
ranking yields a list from the most resistant to the
most borrowable of the ca. 1300 meanings.
If the sample is representative, this ranking may
indicate a structural universal of borrowing.
Influence of degree of contact as well as
structural properties of the recipient languages on
the types of word borrowed can be tested for.
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Planned results (cont’d)
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Further generalizations from the literature can be
tested, e.g.:
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Planned results (cont’d)
–
Further generalizations from the literature can be
tested, e.g.:

“The most frequent lexical items are more resistant to
[being replaced by a] borrowing than the rarer items.”
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Planned results (cont’d)
–
Further generalizations from the literature can be
tested, e.g.:


“The most frequent lexical items are more resistant to
[being replaced by a] borrowing than the rarer items.”
“Content words are more easily borrowed than function
words.”
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Planned results (cont’d)
–
Further generalizations from the literature can be
tested, e.g.:



“The most frequent lexical items are more resistant to
[being replaced by a] borrowing than the rarer items.”
“Content words are more easily borrowed than function
words.”
“Different parts of speech show different susceptibility to
borrowing (e.g. verbs are more resistant to b.)”
The Leipzig Loanword Typology Project

Planned results (cont’d)
–
Further generalizations from the literature can be
tested, e.g.:



“The most frequent lexical items are more resistant to
[being replaced by a] borrowing than the rarer items.”
“Content words are more easily borrowed than function
words.”
“Different parts of speech show different susceptibility to
borrowing (e.g. verbs are more resistant to b.)”
... to what extent?
Verbal borrowings
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Objective:
Verbal borrowings
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Objective:
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A typology of verbal borrowing patterns
Verbal borrowings
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Objective:
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A typology of verbal borrowing patterns
A typology of social, grammatical and lexical
parameters affecting the borrowability of verbs
Verbal borrowings
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The database:
Verbal borrowings

The database:
–
Filemaker™Pro 7 database
Verbal borrowings

The database:
–
–
Filemaker™Pro 7 database
Currently > 120 examples from > 50 language
pairs; goal: at least 200 different language pairs
from all continents
Verbal borrowings

The database:
–
–
–
Filemaker™Pro 7 database
Currently > 120 examples from > 50 language
pairs; goal: at least 200 different language pairs
from all continents
Incorporating typological and other metainformation for all languages involved
Verbal borrowings

The database:
–
–
–
–
Filemaker™Pro 7 database
Currently > 120 examples from > 50 language
pairs; goal: at least 200 different language pairs
from all continents
Incorporating typological and other metainformation for all languages involved
Including information on the productivity of
borrowing patterns
Verbal borrowings

The database:
–
–
–
–
–
Filemaker™Pro 7 database
Currently > 120 examples from > 50 language
pairs; goal: at least 200 different language pairs
from all continents
Incorporating typological and other metainformation for all languages involved
Including information on the productivity of
borrowing patterns
Including information on contact situations
Verbal borrowings

Metadata collected:
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Contact situation and estimated date of borrowing
Verbal borrowings

Metadata collected:
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Contact situation and estimated date of borrowing
Attitude of recipient language speakers towards
borrowings
Verbal borrowings
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Metadata collected:
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Contact situation and estimated date of borrowing
Attitude of recipient language speakers towards
borrowings
Productivity and frequency of loan verb
adaptation pattern(s) in the recipient language
Verbal borrowings

Metadata collected:
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–
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Contact situation and estimated date of borrowing
Attitude of recipient language speakers towards
borrowings
Productivity and frequency of loan verb
adaptation pattern(s) in the recipient language
Lexical status of the borrowing (insertion,
replacement, synonym)
Verbal borrowings

Metadata collected:
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Contact situation and estimated date of borrowing
Attitude of recipient language speakers towards
borrowings
Productivity and frequency of loan verb
adaptation pattern(s) in the recipient language
Lexical status of the borrowing (insertion,
replacement, synonym)
Reliability / accuracy of the information
Verbal borrowings
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Metadata collected (cont’d):
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Typological information on both languages (data
from the WALS database)
Verbal borrowings
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Metadata collected (cont’d):
–
–
Typological information on both languages (data
from the WALS database)
Geographical location of donor and recipient
language (from the WALS database)
Verbal borrowings
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Loan verb embedding patterns
Verbal borrowings
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Loan verb embedding patterns
1.
Direct insertion (no morphological adaptation)
Verbal borrowings
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Loan verb embedding patterns
1.
2.
Direct insertion (no morphological adaptation)
Indirect insertion (adaptation by affixation etc.)
Verbal borrowings

Loan verb embedding patterns
1.
2.
3.
Direct insertion (no morphological adaptation)
Indirect insertion (adaptation by affixation etc.)
Light verb strategy
Verbal borrowings
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Loan verb embedding patterns
1.
2.
3.
4.
Direct insertion (no morphological adaptation)
Indirect insertion (adaptation by affixation etc.)
Light verb strategy
Paradigm insertion (borrowing of verb +
inflection)
Verbal borrowings

Loan verb embedding patterns
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Direct insertion (no morphological adaptation)
Indirect insertion (adaptation by affixation etc.)
Light verb strategy
Paradigm insertion (borrowing of verb +
inflection)
Other (e.g. calques)
Verbal borrowings

Loan verb embedding patterns
1.1: Direct insertion of root or infinitive-like stem
Ket < Russian
dasitaruɣavɛt
da-sitat-u-k-a-bet
3SG.F.S-read-3.N.O-ABL-DUR-ACT
‘she reads it’
< читать ‘to read’
(Vajda; Werner)
Verbal borrowings

Loan verb embedding patterns
1.2: Direct insertion of inflected form
Tasawaq < Touareg (Air)
gháy yílmàq
I swim.PFT
‘I swam’
< i-lmäq 3m.PFT of ëlmëq ‘to swim’
(Wichmann 2004 a,b)
Verbal borrowings
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Loan verb embedding patterns
1.3: Direct insertion across word-class
Tasawaq < Touareg (Air)
ghá b-tásrìg
I IPF-sneeze
‘I am sneezing’
< tusrak ‘sneezing’
(Wichmann 2004 a,b)
Verbal borrowings
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Loan verb embedding patterns
2.1: Affixation with a verbalizer
Yakut < Russian
Армияҕа сулууспалыы диэн, уонна кэлбэтэҕэ.
Armiya-GA sulu:spa-LA:-A die-An, uonna kel-BAtAχ-(t)A.
army-DAT/LOC service-VR-CVB say-CVB and comePSTPTCP.NEG-POSS.3SG
‘He (went off) to serve in the army and didn't return.’
< служба ‘service’
(Brigitte Pakendorf, p.c.)
Verbal borrowings

Loan verb embedding patterns
2.2: Affixation with a causative/factitive
English < Jakarta Indonesian
downloadin
download-in
download-FACT
‘to download’
< download
(elicited data)
Verbal borrowings

Loan verb embedding patterns
2.3 Affixation with a special borrowing affix
Meyah < Indonesian
diebebelajar
di-ebe-belajar
1SG-LW-learn
‘I'm learning’
< belajar ‘to learn’
(Gravelle)
Verbal borrowings

Loan verb embedding patterns
3.1 Light verb “do”, “make”
Modern Greek* < English (USA)
κάνει retire
kani retire
do.3SG retire
‘(s)he retires’
< retire
(Moravcsik 2003) *of migrants in the USA
Verbal borrowings

Loan verb embedding patterns
3.x Other light verb
Carib < Guianese French Creole
pentiré poko man
paint busy.with 3SG.cop
‘he is painting’
< pentiré ‘to paint’
(Renault-Lescure)
Verbal borrowings

Loan verb embedding patterns
4.1 Borrowing of verb plus inflectional paradigm
Romani < Turkish
and o sxoljo ka siklos te okursun ta te jazarsun
and o sxoljo ka sikl-os te okur-sun ta te jazar-sun
in ART school FUT learn-2 COMP read-2 and COMP write-2
‘in the school you will learn how to read and write’
< okurmak ‘to read’; yazmak ‘to write’
(Bakker)
Verbal borrowings
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Loan verb embedding patterns
5.1 Loan translation
Ket < Russian
díriŋúɣavɛt
d-iriŋ-u-k-a-bet
3SG.M.S-sign-3.N.O-ABL-DUR-ACT
‘he signs it’
< Ket iriŋ ‘pattern, design, writing’
(Vajda; Werner)
Verbal borrowings

Findings so far:
Verbal borrowings

Findings so far:
–
Most languages have more than one loan verb
adaptation pattern
Verbal borrowings

Findings so far:
–
–
Most languages have more than one loan verb
adaptation pattern.
Different patterns used for the same pair of
languages can be an indicator for the date of the
particular borrowings. (e.g. in Finnish < Swedish
or Nahuatl < Spanish).
Verbal borrowings

Findings so far:
–
–
–
Most languages have more than one loan verb
adaptation pattern.
Different patterns used for the same pair of
languages can be an indicator for the date of the
particular borrowings. (e.g. in Finnish < Swedish
or Nahuatl < Spanish).
In these language pairs, the adaptation patterns
seem to become less complex over long times of
contact.
Verbal borrowings

Findings so far:
Most languages have more than one loan verb
adaptation pattern.
– Different patterns used for the same pair of
languages can be an indicator for the date of the
particular borrowings. (e.g. in Finnish < Swedish
or Nahuatl < Spanish).
– In these language pairs, the adaptation patterns
seem to become less complex over long times of
contact.
 If this is a general pattern, it can be a useful key
to a language’s contact history.
–
Verbal borrowings

Findings so far (2):
Some languages (e.g. Hup) where speakers claim
they keep their language “pure” did not borrow
anything apart from a few verbs that usually get
heavily affixed with native morphemes.
Verbal borrowings

Findings so far (2):
Some languages (e.g. Hup) where speakers claim
they keep their language “pure” did not borrow
anything apart from a few verbs that usually get
heavily affixed with native morphemes.
This contradicts the generalization that verbs are
less likely to be borrowed than other parts of
speech; it also challenges the explanation that
verbs are less easily to be borrowed because of
the morphology involved.
Verbal borrowings

Example contribution form
http://loanverb.linguist.de/loanverb.html
— If you have examples of verbal borrowings in
whatever pair of languages, please share them
with me!!
Acknowledgements
•
Examples and findings used here were partly contributed by
•
•
•
•
•
Edward Vajda (Western Washington U)
Brigitte Pakendorf (MPI EVA)
Patience Epps (U Virginia / MPI EVA)
Søren Wichmann (MPI EVA)
Funding:
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V.
via Max-Planck-Institute für evolutionäre Anthropologie, Leipzig
Keep on verbing…

Further Information
http://loanverb.linguist.de/
http://email.eva.mpg.de/~wohlgemu/

Contact:
[email protected]