A phylogenetic analysis of stable structural features in West African languages

Datos Bibliográficos

ID10793450
AutoresKristoffer Friis Bøegh (0000-0002-4644-7831, Aarhus University, autor de correspondencia), Aymeric Daval-Markussen (0009-0003-6222-8019, Aarhus University), Peter Bakker (0000-0002-2072-0430, Aarhus University)
Año2016
Páginas62-94
Fecha de publicación2016-06-15
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaStudies in African Linguistics (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0039-3533 • E-ISSN: 2154-428X
EditorialUniversity of Florida George A Smathers Libraries (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.32473/sal.v45i1.107255
OpenAlexW2592384037
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas26

Lexical comparison has long dominated the study of West African language history. Ap-proaching the subject from a different perspective, this paper compares a sample of West African languages based on a selection of typological features proposed to be temporally stable and hence possible markers of historical connections between languages. We utilize phylogenetic networks to visualize and compare typological distances in the language sample, in order to assess the extent to which the distributional properties of the selected features reflect genealogy, areality, or no plausible historical signal. Languages tend to cluster in accordance with genealogical relationships identified in the literature, albeit with a number of inconsistencies argued to reflect contact influences and chance resemblances. Results support the contention that typology can provide information about historical links between West African languages

Biology · Geography · Languages of Africa · Linguistics · Phylogenetic tree · History · Language and cultural evolution · Language, Linguistics, Cultural Analysis · Philosophy · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation