language contact & covergence_maansi_macau

7/28/2019 Language Contact & Covergence_maansi_macau

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Maansi Sharma

Jawaharlal Nehru University

New Delhi, India

[email protected]

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mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Research focus To explore contact-induced developments in Contact

Hindi (CH) which are typologically deviant fromStandard Hindi (SH).

One feature each from morphology, syntax andsemantics would be discussed.

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Methodology The study is based on the data collected during field

work in Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh(AP).

Data was collected by recording of random speechsince the translation method did not prove helpful.

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Why not translation method? The translation method did not work because speakers

hyper-corrected CH since they are aware that CH isgrammatically deviant from SH.

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What is link language? Link language is the language of wider

communication, interaction and convenience. CH issuch link language in North Eastern State of India, AP.

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Linguistic profile of

AP

AP has 26, mutually

unintelligible indigenouslanguages.

There are other nonindigenous languages in formof eastern indo aryanlanguages such as Bangla,assamese, nepali etc.

Mix linguistic profile of AP

demands a link language.

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Mix linguistic profileAP has people from several states working as teachers,

government officers, traders, vendors, hawkers,laborers, taxi drivers etc.

Interaction with these is essential.

Hindi is a natural choice of communication because itis national language thus a common language.

Hence, it links people in AP.

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Who speaks CH? CH is used among three set of speakers:

1. Among non-indegenous people in AP.

2. Among non-indegenous people from outside andindegenous people of AP.

3. Among indegenous people of AP.

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Formation of CH: Intersection point Indo aryan (IA) language speakers provide primary

input to Tibeto-burman (TB) language speakers inform of consolidated regional Hindis.

TB speakers further innovate it and depending uponseveral factors, a continuum of CH is formed.

Thus CH lies at the intersection point of all languages

present as demonstrated in fig 1.

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Fig:1 Formation of CH

LoAP

EIAH

E &

OLCH

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Data discussion: morphology SH has inf lectional paradigm. TB has agglutinating

paradigm. CH marks agglutinating paradigm in pluralmarkers as shown;

1. lrka boy lrka.luk boys

2. utashoe uta.luk shoes

3. hva wind hva.luk* winds*

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Conclusion CH has agglutinating paradigm in plural marking on

nouns. lukis the marker. It has three phonologicalvariations luk, -lok, -log

The plural marker is SH lexical noun people. But thefunction of classifying nouns through classifier comesfrom TB languages.

The rule of numeral classifier lukis +count, whichinclude both +/-animate.

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Data discussion: SyntaxSH has modifier-modified

and noun-verbagreement.

4. lki.a amboy.pl mango

khati h

eat.imprf.sg.pl aux.prs.pl

(Girls eat mangoes.)

CH does not have either.5. lrki.luk mgo

boy.pl mango

khata e.eat.imprf.m.sg aux.prs.sg.

(Girls eat mangoes.)

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Conclusion CH lack agreement.

the default form of verb is 3.M.SG.

The motivation of lack of agreement is reducing thenumber of linguistic operation and forms.

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Data discussion: Semantics Being a contact language, elements in CH undergo

extension of semantic field. Thus, SH has two separate lexemes for verb bsit and

reh stay. But CH has a single lexeme bet sit for both

functions.

In fact, semantic field of this verb is extended to

several more functions in CH. This can bedemonstrated as follows:6. hm kursi me beta.

1.pl chair loc sit.perf.m.sg.

(I am sitting in the chair.) 15


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Conclusion Thus, sentences 6-8 suggest that verb sit of SH has

been reanalyzed in CH to function as a verb to reside,live along with its lexical meaning of verb to sit.

This semantic extension is a regular phenomenon incontact situations because lexicon is limited.

It can be predicted that such semantic extension can

lead to eventual loss of actual meaning of the lexeme.It can lead to become a grammatical category.

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Relevance of study This study can help in predicting trends and directions

in any developing contact Hindi.

Thus, it will be a benchmark for further comparativestudies.

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References Aikhenvald, Y, Alexandra & Dixon, R.M.W. (2007). Grammars in

Contact. A cross linguistic typology. Oxford, Oxford University Press.Ed. (2001).Areal Diffusion and Genetic Inheritance. Oxford,

Oxford University Press.

Matras, Yaron. (2009). Language Contact. Newyork, CambridgeUniversity Press. Modi, Yanky. Emergence and Impact of Hindi as Lingua Franca in

Arunachal Pradesh. Master of Philosophy. Center for Linguistics.Jawaharlal Nehru University. 2005.

Siegel, Jeff. The emergence of pidgin and creole languages. Oxford

University Press, Newyork. 2008. Winford, Donald. Some issues in the study of language contact. In

Journal of language contact. Thema 1.www.jlc-journal.org. 2007

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