De literaire focus van John Colarusso duikt in taalkunde, vergelijkende mythologie en het historische weefsel van Binnen-Eurazië. Zijn onderzoek verkent de uitgestrektheid van taal en bestrijkt zowel moderne als oude perioden van de regio, met een bijzondere nadruk op de Kaukasus. Als auteur behandelt hij de culturele en nationalistische dimensies van internationale betrekkingen en onderzoekt hij vaak de ingewikkelde verbanden tussen taal, mythe en politiek. Zijn diepgaande kennis heeft hem ook ertoe aangezet om te fungeren als informeel diplomaat en adviseur in Kaukasische aangelegenheden.
The book offers an in-depth exploration of the languages of the Northwest Caucasus, renowned for their intricate consonantal systems, which can feature up to 50 consonants. It highlights the unique articulatory practices and secondary modifications that set these languages apart from others. This comprehensive study serves as a crucial resource for understanding the complexities of this language group, making it invaluable for linguists and language enthusiasts interested in phonetic diversity.
Focusing on the intricate consonantal systems, this detailed study delves into the languages of the Northwest Caucasus, known for their remarkable complexity, with some featuring up to 50 consonants. It highlights the unique articulatory techniques employed in these languages and the secondary modifications that occur, setting them apart from other language groups. This essential guide offers valuable insights into the linguistic characteristics and challenges of this fascinating region's languages.
This Reader in North West Caucasian languages compiles grammatical sketches and examples from this unique language family, including three dialects of Circassian, three of Abkhaz-Abaza, and Ubykh. It features traditional tales, including two pagan hymns, all phonemicized (with an additional consonant for Ubykh), morphologically analyzed, glossed, and translated. This volume serves those interested in preserving or reviving these endangered languages. Theoretical linguists will find it intriguing due to the numerous unusual features present. These languages are known for their extensive consonantal inventories and vertical vowel systems. They also utilize polypersonal verbs that convey argument structure alongside pragmatic, syntactic, referential, and spatial information. The languages exhibit split ergativity, with Abkhaz-Abaza showing morphological ergativity due to the absence of case systems, and they demonstrate rightward wh-movement. Circassian features rightward clefting, including clefted questions, while all languages include headless relative constructions. Abkhaz-Abaza showcases verb cliticization and verb chaining. The vocabulary, especially core items, often arises from extensive compounding processes, making this a rich area for linguistic study. ISBN 9783862886623. LINCOM Studies in Caucasian Linguistics 21. 292pp. 2015.
