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Article published In: Diachronica
Vol. 38:1 (2021) ► pp.1–24

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Phylogenies based on lexical innovations refute the Rung hypothesis

ORCiD logo with link | CNRS-EHESS-Inalco, CRLAO
ORCiD logo with link | CNRS-EHESS-Inalco, CRLAO
Published online: 21 December 2020
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https://doi.org/10.1075/dia.19058.jac
Abstract
Sino-Tibetan (Trans-Himalayan) is one of the typologically most diverse language families in the world, one of the few comprising all gradients of morphological complexity, from isolating to polysynthetic. No consensus exists as yet on whether the rich morphology found in some languages, in particular person indexation, should be reconstructed in the common Sino-Tibetan ancestor or whether it is a later innovation confined to and defining a particular “Rung” subgroup. In this article, we argue that this question is fundamentally a problem of phylogeny, and that the results of recent works on the phylogeny of Sino-Tibetan, supplemented by a more refined investigation of shared lexical innovations, provide support for the idea that person indexation morphology is not a recent innovation and that the languages lacking such a feature are thus innovative.
Résumé
Le sino-tibétain (trans-himalayen) est l’une des familles de langues les plus diverses au monde d’un point de vue typolologique, l’une des rares à inclure tous les degrés de complexité morphologique, de l’isolant jusqu’au polysynthétique.
La question de savoir si la morphologie complexe qui se trouve dans certaines langues remonterait jusqu’à l’ancêtre commun du sino-tibétain, ou s’il s’agit d’une innovation tardive limitée à un sous-groupe (dit « rung ») ne fait pas consensus.
Dans cet article, nous proposons que cette question est fondamentalement un problème de phylogénie, et que les résultats de certains travaux récents sur la phylogénie du sino-tibétain, complétés par une étude plus détaillée des innovations lexicales partagées, apportent un soutien à l’idée que l’indexation personnelle n’est pas une innovation récente et que ce sont les langues qui en sont dépourvues qui auraient innové.
Zusammenfassung
Sino-Tibetisch (Trans-Himalayanisch) ist eine der typologisch vielfältigsten Sprachfamilien der Welt, eine der wenigen, die alle Gradienten morphologischer Komplexität von isolierend bis polysynthetisch umfassen. Es besteht noch kein Konsens darüber, ob die reiche Morphologie, die sich in einigen Sprachen findet, insbesondere die Personenindexierung, im Ur-Sinotibetischen rekonstruiert werden sollte oder ob es sich um eine spätere Neuerung handelt, die sich auf eine bestimmte Rung-Untergruppe beschränkt und diese definiert.
In dieser Arbeit argumentieren wir, dass diese Frage grundsätzlich ein phylogenetisches Problem ist und dass die Ergebnisse neuerer Arbeiten zur Phylogenie des Sino-Tibetischen, ergänzt durch eine verfeinerte Untersuchung gemeinsamer lexikalischer Innovationen, die Hypothese unterstützen, dass die Morphologie der Personenindexierung keine neuere Innovation ist und dass die Sprachen, denen ein solches Merkmal fehlt, somit innovativ sind.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Sino-Tibetan verbal morphology and phylogeny
    • 2.1Rgyalrong and Kiranti person indexation
    • 2.2The Rung vs Polysynthetic Sino-Tibetan hypotheses
    • 2.3Geographical distribution
  • 3.Lexical innovations and the Rung hypothesis
    • 3.1Recent phylogenetic studies and the Rung hypothesis
    • 3.2Prediction of the Rung hypothesis
    • 3.3Testing the prediction of the Rung hypothesis
  • 4.Alternatives to the Rung hypothesis
    • 4.1Burmo-Rgyalrongic
    • 4.2Tibeto-Rgyalrongic
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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