Ratings of age of acquisition of 299 words across 25 languages: is there a cross-linguistic order of words?

We present a new set of subjective age-of-acquisition (AoA) ratings for 299 words (158 nouns, 141 verbs) in 25 languages from five language families (Afro-Asiatic: Semitic languages; Altaic: one Turkic language: Indo-European: Baltic, Celtic, Germanic, Hellenic, Slavic, and Romance languages; Niger-Congo: one Bantu language; Uralic: Finnic and Ugric languages). Adult native speakers reported the age at which they had learned each word. We present a comparison of the AoA ratings across all languages by contrasting them in pairs. This comparison shows a consistency in the orders of ratings across the 25 languages. The data were then analyzed (1) to ascertain how the demographic characteristics of the participants influenced AoA estimations and (2) to assess differences caused by the exact form of the target question (when did you learn vs. when do children learn this word); (3) to compare the ratings obtained in our study to those of previous studies; and (4) to assess the validity of our study by comparison with quasi-objective AoA norms derived from the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDI). All 299 words were judged as being acquired early (mostly before the age of 6 years). AoA ratings were associated with the raters’ social or language status, but not with the raters’ age or education. Parents reported words as being learned earlier, and bilinguals reported learning them later. Estimations of the age at which children learn the words revealed significantly lower ratings of AoA. Finally, comparisons with previous AoA and MB-CDI norms support the validity of the present estimations. Our AoA ratings are available for research or other purposes.

Em defesa da categoria de voz média no português

A voz média representa uma categoria flexional das línguas clássicas indo-européias com a função de expressar estados de coisas que afetam o sujeito do verbo ou seus interesses. O português dispõe de um conjunto de predicados, formalmente identificados pelo uso anafórico e não-correferencial do pronome 'se', em que se sustenta a noção de diátese medial. Este trabalho pretende fornecer evidências formais, semânticas e tipológicas para postular uma distinção entre construções médias e reflexivo-recíprocas.

Unidades organizativas indígenas del área indoeuropea de Hispania III: Addenda

[EN] This article analyses the new names, repeated and non-repeated names being both included in similar fashion, of indigenous units of organization (cognationes, gentes and gentilitates), discovered back in the 90’s (20th C.). These names are mentioned in the Latin and Celtiberian inscriptions from Indo-European Hispania.

Studies on the dual in Mycenaean, in the Homeric poetry and in the Attic Theatre of the 5th century — morphological, dialectal and stylistical variations

The present dissertation focuses on the dual number in Ancient Greek in a diachronical lapse stretching from the Mycenaean age to the Attic Drama and Comedy of the 5th century BC. In the first chapter morphological issues are addressed, chiefly in a comparative perspective. The Indo European evidence on the dual is hence gathered in order to sketch patterns of grammaticalisation and paradigmatisation of specific grams, growing increasingly functional within the Greek domain. In the second chapter syntactical problems are tackled. After a survey of scholarly literature on the Greek dual, we engage in a functional and typological approach, in order to disentangle some biased assessments on the dual, namely its alleged lack of regularity and intermittent agreement. Some recent frameworks in General Linguistics provide useful grounds for casting new light on the subject. Internal Reconstruction, for instance, supports the facultativity of the dual in each and every stage of its development; Typology and the Animacy Hierarcy add precious cross linguistical insight on the behaviour of the dual toward agreement. Glaring differences also arise as to the adoption — or avoidance — of the dual by different authors. Idiolectal varieties prove in fact conditioned by stylistical and register necessity. By means of a comparison among Epics, Tragedy and Comedy it is possible to enhance differences in the evaluation of the dual, which led sometimes to forms of ‘censure’ — thus triggering the onset of competing strategies to express duality. The last two chapters delve into the tantalising variety of the Homeric evidence, first of all in an account of the notorious issue of the Embassy of Iliad IX, and last in a commentary of all significant Homeric duals — mostly represented by archaisms, formulae, and ad hoc coinages.

The Semantics and Typology of Yes/No Particles (A Cross-Linguistic Study)

Taking the three basic systems of Yes/No particles the group looked at the relative deep and surface structures, and asked what types of systems are present in the Georgian, Polish and Armenian languages. The choice of languages was of particular interest as the Caucasian and Indo-European languages usually have different question-answering systems, but Georgian (Caucasian) and Polish (Indo-European) in fact share the same system. The Armenian language is Indo-European, but the country is situated in the southern Caucasus, on Georgia's southern border, making it worth analysing Armenian in comparison with Georgian (from the point of view of language interference) and with Polish (as two relative languages). The group identified two different deep structures, tracing the occurrence of these in different languages, and showed that one is more natural in the majority of languages. They found no correspondence between relative languages and their question-answer systems and demonstrated that languages in the same typological class may show different systems, as with Georgian and the North Caucasian languages. It became clear that Georgian, Armenian and Polish all have an agree/disagree question-answering system defined by the same deep structure. From this they conclude that the lingual mentalities of Georgians, Armenians and Poles are more oriented to the communicative act. At the same time the Yes/No system, in which a positive particle stands for a positive answer and a negative particle for a negative answer, also functions in these languages, indicating that the second deep structure identified also functions alongside the first.

A linguistically informed autosomal STR survey of human populations residing in the Greater Himalayan Region

The greater Himalayan region demarcates two of the most prominent linguistic phyla in Asia: Tibeto-Burman and Indo-European. Previous genetic surveys, mainly using Y-chromosome polymorphisms and/or mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms suggested a substantially reduced geneflow between populations belonging to these two phyla. These studies, however, have mainly focussed on populations residing far to the north and/or south of this mountain range, and have not been able to study geneflow patterns within the greater Himalayan region itself. We now report a detailed, linguistically informed, genetic survey of Tibeto-Burman and Indo-European speakers from the Himalayan countries Nepal and Bhutan based on autosomal microsatellite markers and compare these populations with surrounding regions. The genetic differentiation between populations within the Himalayas seems to be much higher than between populations in the neighbouring countries. We also observe a remarkable genetic differentiation between the Tibeto-Burman speaking populations on the one hand and Indo-European speaking populations on the other, suggesting that language and geography have played an equally large role in defining the genetic composition of present-day populations within the Himalayas.

El problema del ser y del tener : reflexiones en perspectiva antropológica

A partir de un texto de Arturo Andrés Roig, se propone un ejercicio reflexivo acerca de la dimensión antropológica del problema del ser y del tener. A través de la confrontación de dos relatos míticos pertenecientes a tradiciones diferentes, una de origen indoeuropeo y otra latinoamericana, se muestra la posibilidad de interpelar y replantear la pregunta por lo humano atendiendo a los principios de entidad y de tenencia que la atraviesan, de modo complejo, fáctica y axiológicamente. El artículo invita a revisar los registros dualistas de los interrogantes antropológicos y abrir otras posibilidades desde los modos como los sujetos se objetivan y reconocen como tales a través de los diferentes discursos

Savitri y Orfeo : La argumentación en la lógica india y en la retórica clásica

Los mitos de Savitri (Mahabharata 3.293-299) y Orfeo (Ovidio. Metamorfosis 10.1-85), pertenecientes al ámbito cultural indoeur opeo, presentan algunos puntos en común: narran la historia del amante que rescata a su ser amado de la muerte, y combinan el encuentro con los dioses de la muerte y el discurso mediante el poder de la palabra. En esta propuesta, se analizan los discursos de los protagonistas a partir de las convenciones propias de cada contexto de enunciación. Para el caso indio, se sigue el modelo lógico de la escuela Nyaya; para el greco-latino, el de la retórica clásica. De este modo, sobre la base de la estructura argumentativa del silogismo aristotélico, se plantean dos variaciones, respectivamente, el silogismo hindú y el silogismo retórico. Se trata de dos aproximaciones argumentativas con métodos distintos pero con un mismo fin: (con)vencer al oponente

Breve nota sobre a etimologia de Dioniso

This article aims chiefly to discuss the status quaestionis regarding the etymology of Dionysus. The main theories thereon are analyzed and a new connection is put forward between the name of the god and one of his characteristic activities -dancing. In view of this, some passages of the Rig Veda are pointed out which might strengthen the bond already suggested between Dionysus and the god Indra within the Indo-European tradition

Breve nota sobre a etimologia de Dioniso

This article aims chiefly to discuss the status quaestionis regarding the etymology of Dionysus. The main theories thereon are analyzed and a new connection is put forward between the name of the god and one of his characteristic activities -dancing. In view of this, some passages of the Rig Veda are pointed out which might strengthen the bond already suggested between Dionysus and the god Indra within the Indo-European tradition

Savitri y Orfeo : La argumentación en la lógica india y en la retórica clásica

Los mitos de Savitri (Mahabharata 3.293-299) y Orfeo (Ovidio. Metamorfosis 10.1-85), pertenecientes al ámbito cultural indoeur opeo, presentan algunos puntos en común: narran la historia del amante que rescata a su ser amado de la muerte, y combinan el encuentro con los dioses de la muerte y el discurso mediante el poder de la palabra. En esta propuesta, se analizan los discursos de los protagonistas a partir de las convenciones propias de cada contexto de enunciación. Para el caso indio, se sigue el modelo lógico de la escuela Nyaya; para el greco-latino, el de la retórica clásica. De este modo, sobre la base de la estructura argumentativa del silogismo aristotélico, se plantean dos variaciones, respectivamente, el silogismo hindú y el silogismo retórico. Se trata de dos aproximaciones argumentativas con métodos distintos pero con un mismo fin: (con)vencer al oponente

Savitri y Orfeo : La argumentación en la lógica india y en la retórica clásica

Los mitos de Savitri (Mahabharata 3.293-299) y Orfeo (Ovidio. Metamorfosis 10.1-85), pertenecientes al ámbito cultural indoeur opeo, presentan algunos puntos en común: narran la historia del amante que rescata a su ser amado de la muerte, y combinan el encuentro con los dioses de la muerte y el discurso mediante el poder de la palabra. En esta propuesta, se analizan los discursos de los protagonistas a partir de las convenciones propias de cada contexto de enunciación. Para el caso indio, se sigue el modelo lógico de la escuela Nyaya; para el greco-latino, el de la retórica clásica. De este modo, sobre la base de la estructura argumentativa del silogismo aristotélico, se plantean dos variaciones, respectivamente, el silogismo hindú y el silogismo retórico. Se trata de dos aproximaciones argumentativas con métodos distintos pero con un mismo fin: (con)vencer al oponente

Breve nota sobre a etimologia de Dioniso

This article aims chiefly to discuss the status quaestionis regarding the etymology of Dionysus. The main theories thereon are analyzed and a new connection is put forward between the name of the god and one of his characteristic activities -dancing. In view of this, some passages of the Rig Veda are pointed out which might strengthen the bond already suggested between Dionysus and the god Indra within the Indo-European tradition

The Indoeuropean accent; tripudic, or birhythmic, pyrrhic or bimetric, crescendo-diminuendo quantrum constant of stress and time,

Mode of access: Internet.

Über Wechselbeziehungen der ägyptischen, indoeuropaeischen und semitischen Etymologie /

Mode of access: Internet.