Austronesian Root Theory
An essay on the limits of morphology
1st Edition
Published on 1. January 1988
XI, 190 pages
978-90-272-8209-5 (ISBN)
Description
Since the pioneering analyses of Renward Brandstetter (1860-1942) a quasi-morphological element called the 'root' has been recognized in Austronesian linguistics. This monograph confronts many of the methodological and substantive issues raised but never fully resolved by Brandstetter. In an effort to reassess the value of his work for contemporary linguistics the author examines Brandstetter's methods and results, and applies a modified from of this approach to new material. The study establishes 230 roots based on more than 2,560 root tokens in some 117 languages. It is thus intended to serve as a rudimentary root dictionary and a basic handbook on the subject of the root for future scholars of Austronesian.
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Content
- AUSTRONESIAN ROOT THEORY AN ESSAY ON THE LIMITS OF MORPHOLOGY
- Editorial page
- Title page
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- PREFACE
- Table of contents
- TABLES AND FIGURES
- ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE TEXT
- NTRODUCTION
- 1. ON "ROOT THEORY'
- 2. THE MORPHEME: TWO OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS
- 3. A SYNOPTIC HISTORY OF AUSTRONESIAN ROOT THEORY
- 4. A CRITIQUE OF BRANDSTETTER'S THEORY OF THE ROOT
- 4.1. Control of chance
- 4.2. Failure to recognize regular sound change
- 4.3. Use of cognates to establish a root
- 4.4. Overgeneralization
- 4.5. Arbitrariness of "root variation
- 4.6. The non-argument for word-base formatives
- 5. AUSTRONESIAN ROOT THEORY REVISITED
- 5.1. The empirical reality of the root
- 5.1.1. Establishing the root by synchronic comparison
- 5.1.2. Establishing the root by diachronic comparison
- 5.1.3. Establishing the root by paradigmatic contrast
- 5.1.4. The issue of statistical controls
- 5.2. The characteristics of the root
- 5.2.1. Phonological characteristics of the root
- 5.2.2. Semantic characteristics of the root
- 5.2.3. Distributional characteristics of the root
- 5.2.4. Root variation
- 5.3. The root in linguistic comparison: asset or liability?
- 5.4. The psychological reality of the root
- 5.5. The origin of roots
- 6. RELATED MATTERS
- 6.1. Initial consonant symbolism
- 6.2. Medial consonant symbolism
- 6.3. Final consonant symbolism
- 6.4. Gestalt symbolism
- 6.5. McCune's analysis of Bahasa Indonesia
- 7. IMPLICATIONS FOR GENERAL LINGUISTIC THEORY
- 8. APPENDICES
- APPENDIX 1
- APPENDIX 2
- APPENDiX 3
- NOTES
- REFERENCES
- INDEX
