The Sino-Tibetan Languages

Front Cover
Randy J. LaPolla, Graham Thurgood
Routledge, May 17, 2006 - Foreign Language Study - 752 pages
There are more native speakers of Sino-Tibetan languages than of any other language family in the world. Records of these languages are among the oldest for any human language, and the amount of active research on them, both diachronic and synchronic, has multiplied in the last few decades. This volume includes overview articles as well as descriptions of individual languages and comments on the subgroups in which they occur. In addition to a number of modern languages, there are descriptions of several ancient languages.
 

Contents

A subgrouping of the SinoTibetan languages the interaction between language contact change and inheritance
3
2 SinoTibetan
6
4 TibetoBurman
7
Reference
20
Overview of SinoTibetan morphosyntax
22
2 Chinese
29
Reference
36
Word Order in SinoTibetan languages from a typological and geographical perspective
43
2 Phonology
388
3 Verbs
390
4 Noun phrases
391
5 Adverbs and reduplication
397
7 Language contact and language maintenance
399
References
400
Jinghpo
401
2 Grammar
403

3 Chinese
48
4 Conclusion
54
OLD CHINESE AND CHINESE DIALECTS
57
A sketch of late Zhou Chinese grammer
59
3 Prediction
60
4 Modification clause demotion and nominalization
63
5 Basic constituent order
66
6 Conclusion
69
Additional abbreviations
70
The Chinese dialects phonology
72
References
82
Chinese dialects grammar
84
3 Sentence structure and word order
94
4 Major Sentence types
96
Further reading
124
The characteristics of Mandarin Dialects
126
2 Some characteristics of Mandarin dialects
128
3 The regional characteristics of Mandarin dialects
129
References
130
Shanghai
131
2 Shanghai morphology and syntax
138
Reference
145
Cantonese
146
colloquial Cantonese vocabulary
150
4 Grammar
151
5 Conclusion
154
Chinese writing
156
2 Historical development
160
3 Writing as evidence in historical reconstruction
163
4 Relation to other languages
164
Reference
165
TIBETOBURMAN LANGUAGES AND DIALECTS
167
The TibetoBurman languages of Northeastern India
169
2 Typology
173
4 The central area
175
5 The northern area
178
6 The eastern border area
182
7 Conclusions
189
LOLOBURMESE LANGUAGE
193
Burmese
195
2 Phonology
197
3 Word classes
200
Syntax constructions and particles
202
Additional abbreviations
206
Further reading
207
Lahu
208
2 Phonology
209
3 Lahu vocabulary and word formation
210
4 Clause structure
211
5 Form classes
212
7 The noun phrase
214
8 The verb phrase
217
9 Nominalization and relativization
219
References
220
Lisu
222
2 Lisu phonology
223
3 Lisu morphosyntax
226
Reference
235
Akha
236
2 Phonology
237
3 Word formation
239
4 Syntax
241
5 Sentence particles
247
6 Noun incorporation
249
7 Final particles
251
BODISH LANGUAGE
253
Classical Tibetan
255
2 Phonology
256
3 Word classes and inflections
258
4 Word formation
262
5 The noun phrase
263
6 Clause and sentence
265
References
267
Lhasa Tibetan
270
2 Nouns adjectives and nominal morphology
273
3 The verb
276
4 Word formation
281
5 Syntax
282
References
286
TGTM LANGUAGES
289
Tamang
291
3 Typological summary
293
5 The noun phrase
297
6 The verb phrase
300
7 Complex sentences
302
9 Questions
310
10 Information structure
311
Additional abbreviations
313
Chantyal
315
3 Morphology
318
4 Word formation
327
5 Syntax
329
Reference
334
NarPhu
336
2 Phonology
337
3 Morphology
340
4 Word formation
347
5 Syntax
348
References
352
NEWAR DIALECTS
353
Dolakha Newar
355
2 Phonology
356
3 Morphology
357
4 Verbs
359
5 Syntax
361
6 Narrative text
364
Additional abbreviations
369
References
370
Kathmandu Newar Nepal Bhasa
371
2 Phonology
372
3 Inflectional morphology
373
4 Word formation
377
5 Syntax
378
Reference
383
NORTHEASTERN INDIA
385
Garo
387
Hakha Lai
409
3 Inflectional morphology
410
4 Syntax
419
References
424
Further reading
426
Meithei
427
3 Morphology
429
4 Major lexical categories
431
5 Evidentiality
432
6 Syntax
433
References
437
Further reading
438
Tshangla
439
3 Morphophonemics
440
4 Noun phrase
441
5 Syntactic roles
443
6 Case marking
444
7 Tenseaspect
446
9 Mirativity
447
10 Copular clauses
448
12 Relative clauses
450
13 Complementation
451
14 Adverbial clauses
452
16 Concatenation
453
References
455
Tani languages
456
3 Morphology
458
4 Syntax
462
Additional abbreviations
465
References
466
GYALRONG LANGUAGES
467
Cogtse Gyarong
469
2 Outline of phonology
470
3 Morphology and morphosyntax
471
References
489
Caodeng rGyalrong
490
3 Morphology
491
4 Syntax
497
Additional abbreviations
502
Kiranti languages
503
Kiranti languages an overview
505
3 Genetic and areal groupings
516
Additional abbreviations
517
Hayu
518
3 Morphophonology
519
4 Verb morphology
520
5 Nonverbal morphology and word classes
523
6 Syntax
524
7 Information structure and discourse particles
530
Additional abbreviations
531
References
532
Camling
533
3 Nominals
534
4 The verb
537
5 Syntax
542
Additional abbreviations
545
Belhare
546
3 Inflectional morphology
548
4 Derivational morphology and compounding
559
5 Syntax
561
Additional abbreviations
569
QIANGIC LANGUAGES
571
Qiang
573
2 The noun phrase
575
3 Nominal relational morphology
577
4 The verb complex
579
5 Adverbials
583
6 The clause
584
References
586
Prinmi
588
3 Morphology
591
4 Syntax
594
References
601
Tangut
602
3 Morphology
606
4 Word formation
610
5 Syntax
612
References
619
KAREN LANGUAGES
621
Eastern Kayah Li
623
2 Phonology
624
3 Word formation
625
4 Syntax
626
References
631
Pwo Karen
632
2 Sounds
633
3 Parts of speech
634
4 Morphology
637
5 Syntax
639
Additional abbreviations
647
References
648
OTHER LANGUAGES
649
Yunnan Bai
651
2 Phonology
654
3 Word classes
661
4 Word formation processes
666
5 Syntax
669
References
672
Dulong
674
3 Morphosyntax
675
References
682
Kham
683
2 Phonology
685
3 Inflectional morphology
688
4 Adjectives and adjectivals
699
5 Noun phrase syntax
700
6 Nominalizations
701
7 Clause chains and switch reference
702
8 Evidentials
703
Lepcha
705
3 Nominal morphology
707
4 Verbal morphology
712
5 Text
715
References
716
Index
717
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