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Article published In: Diachronica
Vol. 34:4 (2017) ► pp.470–515

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Reconstructing remote relationships

Proto-Australian noun class prefixation

 | University of Newcastle
 | Western Sydney University
Published online: 9 February 2018
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https://doi.org/10.1075/dia.15032.har
Abstract
Evaluation of hypotheses on genetic relationships depends on two factors: database size and criteria on correspondence quality. For hypotheses on remote relationships, databases are often small. Therefore, detailed consideration of criteria on correspondence quality is important. Hypotheses on remote relationships commonly involve greater geographical and temporal ranges. Consequently, we propose that there are two factors which are likely to play a greater role in comparing hypotheses of chance, contact and inheritance for remote relationships: (i) spatial distribution of corresponding forms; and (ii) language specific unpredictability in related paradigms. Concentrated spatial distributions disfavour hypotheses of chance, and discontinuous distributions disfavour contact hypotheses, whereas hypotheses of inheritance may accommodate both. Higher levels of language-specific unpredictability favour remote over recent transmission. We consider a remote relationship hypothesis, the Proto-Australian hypothesis. We take noun class prefixation as a test dataset for evaluating this hypothesis against these two criteria, and we show that inheritance is favoured over chance and contact.
Résumé
L’évaluation des hypothèses sur une relation génétique dépend de deux facteurs: la taille de la base de données et les critères de la qualité des concordances. Lorsque l’hypothèse porte sur des relations génétiques éloignées, les bases de données sont souvent réduites. Il nous semble donc qu’il est souhaitable d’accorder une importance toute particulière à deux facteurs, si l’on veut comparer la probabilité de validité d’une hypothèse de relation génétique distante, avec celle d’un simple effet du hasard, ou d’un contact linguistique: (i) la distribution spatiale de formes concordantes, (ii) la proportion de cas imprévisibles dans des paradigmes apparentés à l’intérieur d’une même langue. Si une distribution dense ne favorise manifestement pas l’hypothèse du simple hasard, et qu’une distribution discontinue ne favorise pas l’hypothèse du contact, une relation génétique peut expliquer les deux types de distribution. Enfin, l’observation d’un taux d’imprévisibilité plus élevé dans une langue spécifique favorise l’hypothèse d’une transmission plus ancienne plutôt que récente. Nous examinerons ici l’hypothèse d’une relation génétique, à savoir l’hypothèse du Proto-Australien. Nous étudierons la préfixion nominale comme un cas-type pour l’évaluer par rapport aux deux critères évoqués ci-dessus, et montrerons que ces données suggèrent une parenté génétique, plutôt qu’un simple effet de hasard, ou un possible contact linguistique.
Zusammenfassung
Die Überprüfung von Hypothesen über eine genetische Verwandtschaft von Sprachen hängt von zwei Faktoren ab, erstens von der Größe der Materialgrundlage und zweitens davon, wie gut die Übereinstimmungen begründet sind. Bei entfernter Verwandtschaft ist die Materialgrundlage oft klein. In diesem Fall sind die Kriterien zur Beurteilung der Übereinstimmungen wichtig. Wir möchten hier auf zwei Faktoren hinweisen, die bei der Beurteilung von Hypothesen von entfernter Verwandtschaft gegenüber Annahmen von Zufall, Kontakt und Vererbung wahrscheinlich eine größere Rolle spielen: (i) die räumliche Verteilung von Übereinstimmungen, und (ii) sprachspezifische Unvorhersehbarkeiten in verwandten Paradigmen. Konzentrierte räumliche Verteilungen sprechen gegen zufällige Übereinstimmungen und diskontinuierliche Verteilungen gegen Kontakt; demgegenüber kann genetische Verwandtschaft beide Verteilungsarten erklären. Zugleich deutet ein größeres Maß an sprachspezifischer Unvorhersehbarkeit im Allgemeinen auf ein höheres Alter der sprachlichen Transmission. Wir prüfen hier eine Hypothese über entfernte genetische Verwandtschaft, die Uraustralisch-Hypothese. In diesem Beitrag untersuchen wir Klassenpräfigierung als einen Testfall für diese Hypothese und zeigen, dass hier genetische Verwandtschaft die Daten besser erklären kann als die Annahme von Zufall oder Kontakt.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Reconstruction of PA nominal classification
  • 3.Previous reconstructions of PA nominal classification
  • 4.Classification of NPN languages
  • 5.Sound correspondences and lexical cognates
  • 6.Inanimate lexical domains
    • 6.1Class IV *ma-
    • 6.2Class V *ku-
  • 7.Animate lexical domains
    • 7.1Class I *ci-
    • 7.2Class II *ciɲ-
    • 7.3Class III *ta-
  • 8.Yanyuwa and the PN languages
  • 9.The paradigmatic distribution of prefix reflexes
  • 10.Chance, contact and inheritance
  • 11.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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