Re: Further language development Q's

On Wed, 15 Sep 2004 19:31:48 +0200, Carsten Becker
<naranoieati@...> wrote:

> 1)   How can I get from [4] to /R/, i.e. [X, R]? [4] is
>      alveolar, and /R/ uvular, so at the opposite end of
>      the mouth. Are there any steps in between that justify
>      this change? OTOH, I've heard dialects that use [4]
>      instead of [R]. I've learnt that it's always dialects
>      that develop into another daughter languages.
The thing about rhotics (indeed, is this the defining thing about them? If
so, it seems a bit circular) is that they all tend to be perceptually
considered rhotic, regardless of articulatory method. My guess for a very
plausible method of moving from /4/ to /R/ would be an areal effect from
neighboring languages. Other than that, I can see...

4 -> r\ -> z` -> j\ -> G -> R

...as being something that might happen, though I suspect there would
still have to be an external influence to trigger 4 -> r\ and probably z`
-> j\.

> 3)  OFF-TOPIC as for the topic of this thread, but ON-TOPIC
>     as for languages: What does "deictic" mean? I haven't
>     found it in my dictionary.
When in doubt, reach for Trask:

deictic /'daIktIk/ n. Any lexical or grammatical item which serves to
express a distinction within a deictic category, such as a personal
pronoun, a demonstrative, a tense marking or an adverb like 'here' and
'then'.

deictic category n. Any grammatical category which serves to express
distinctions in terms of orientation within the immediate context of an
utterance. Deictic categories are those which make crucial reference to
such factors as the time or place of speaking or the identity or location
of the speaker, the addressee or other entities. Among the most frequent
deictic categories are person, tense and deictic position.

deictic position n. A grammatical category ocurring in perhaps all
languages which serves to express distinctions of reference, particularly
with respect to location. Deictic systems are almost always egocentric --
that is, they express location primarily with reference to the speaker,
though they may secondarily include reference to the addressee or to other
entities. Deictic systems always include reference to distance, though
they may also involve reference to other dimensions, such as direction,
visibility, size, motion or previous mention. [snip numerous examples from
English, Spanish, Japanese, Malagasy, Dyirbal and Eskimo]

deixis /'daIksIs/ n. Reference by a term forming part of a system
expressing a deictic category: 'you', 'now', 'there', 'this' or a
past-tense marker. Adj. deictic.

Phew. A lot of information, but as usual for Trask, relatively clear. I
hope.




Paul