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Article published In: Asian Languages and Linguistics
Vol. 1:1 (2020) ► pp.9–33

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Aspects of word formation processes in Luro

The endangered language of the Nicobar Islands

 | Simon Fraser University | Goa University
 | Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar
Published online: 11 March 2020
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/alal.00001.abb
Abstract
Luro, an Austroasiatic language of the Mon-Khmer group is spoken in the Teressa island of the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands in the Bay of Bengal, India. Luro is a critically endangered language spoken by less than 2,000 speakers (Directorate of Census Operations. (2011). District Census Handbook, Andman and Nicobar Islands. Calcutta, Delhi. Census of India 2011.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar). The morphology of Luro is virtually undescribed in detail so far. The previous works are restricted to deRoepstorff, F. A. (1875). Vocabulary of Dialects spoken in the Nicobar and Andaman Islands. Calcutta: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar, Cruz, S. W. (2005). Contemplating Memes: Cultural Documentation of the Nicobarese. Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar, Man, E. H. (1889). A Dictionary of the Central Nicobarese Language. London: Harrison and Sons.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar and Rajasingh, V. R. (2019). The Nicobarese-Hindi-English Dictionary. Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar which are limited to wordlists and a partial dictionary. This is the first-ever account of word formation process in the language. Word formation processes include among others, compounding and derivation across grammatical categories. Incorporation is used in verb morphology. Although language does not have an extensive case marking system postpositions appear on some nouns optionally. Nouns are marked for duality and plurality but not for gender. Negation is indexed with pronoun morphology and participates in formation of antonyms. Kinship terminology and Number System have also been dealt with to represent diverse word formation processes.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction: Nicobarese group of languages
    • 1.1Previous documentation
    • 1.2The island: Geography and demography
  • 2.Methodology
    • 2.1Brief typological account of the language
  • 3.Word formation processes
    • 3.1Compounding
      • 3.1.1Compound nouns
    • 3.2Derivation
      • 3.2.1Nominalizing affixes
        • 3.2.1.1
          • {<əm>} as an infix
          • {əm-} as a prefix
          • The variant {-mə-} as an infix
          • {mə-} as a prefix
          • The variant {m-}
        • 3.2.1.2
      • 3.2.2Causative formation
    • 3.3Negation
    • 3.4Pronouns
      • 3.4.1Personal pronouns
      • 3.4.2Pronominal with negative
      • 3.4.3Reflexive pronouns
      • 3.4.4Interrogative pronouns
      • 3.4.5Demonstrative pronouns
      • 3.4.6Pronouns in case marking
        • 3.4.6.1Nominative
        • 3.4.6.2Accusative
        • 3.4.6.3Dative
        • 3.4.6.4Genitive
    • 3.5Morphology of kinship terminology
    • 3.6Morphology of numeral system
      • 3.6.1Cardinals
      • 3.6.2Ordinals
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
References (19)
References
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Cited by (1)

Cited by one other publication

Saha, Satarupa Dattamajumdar
2024. History of linguistic science of the Austroasiatic group of languages with special reference to the Mon-Khmer and Northern Munda languages of India: Retrospect and prospect. Indian Journal of History of Science 59:3 ► pp. 308 ff. DOI logo

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