Re: THEORY: derivation question

   Date:         Thu, 25 Mar 1999 15:34:26 -0500
   From: Nik Taylor <fortytwo@...>

   Lars Henrik Mathiesen wrote:
   > In an Austronesian language called Skikun, it seems that all
   > instances of word-final /-p/ have been changed to /-k/ in the
   > space of two generations.

   Interesting phenomenon.  Change is often fastest where there is a schism
   between the younger speakers and the older speakers (presumably due to
   the fact that a person's language has the greatest changes in early
   adulthood, and many such changes are abandoned due to the influence of
   older people).  I wonder if this is happening here?

Sorry, I have no idea. I have this third hand through Larry Trask ---
his reference:

        Reference: Paul Jen-Kuei Li (1982), `Linguistic variations of
        different age groups in the Atayalic dialects', The Tsing Hua
        Journal of Chinese Studies (new series) 14: 167-191. The data
        are reproduced on pp. 302-303 of my HL textbook: R. L. Trask
        (1996), Historical Linguistics

Lars Mathiesen (U of Copenhagen CS Dep) <thorinn@...> (Humour NOT marked)