This study is the first wide-scope morpho-syntactic comparative study of North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic dialects to date. Given the historical depth of Aramaic (almost 3 millennia) and the geographic span of the modern dialects, coming in contact with various Iranian, Turkic and Semitic languages, these dialects provide an almost pristine "laboratory" setting for examining language change from areal, typological and historical perspectives. While the study has a very wide coverage of dialects, including also contact languages (and especially Kurdish dialects), it focuses on a specific grammatical domain, namely attributive constructions, giving a theoretically motivated and empirically grounded account of their variation, distribution and development. The results will be enlightening not only to Semitists seeking to learn about this fascinating modern Semitic language group, but also for typologists and general linguists interested in the dynamics of noun phrase morphosyntax.
Author(s): Ariel Gutman
Series: Studies in Diversity Linguistics 15
Publisher: Language Science Press
Year: 2018
Language: English
Commentary: This title can be downloaded at: http://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/123
Pages: 462
Tags: Neo-Aramaic languages;Linguistics;Words, Language & Grammar;Reference;Новоарамейские языки;Языки и языкознание;neo-arameaj lingvoj
1. Introduction
2. Attributive constructions: Typological and Semitic perspectives
3. Attributive constructions in Syriac
4. The D-markers in NENA dialects
5. Attributive constructions in the Jewish dialect of Zakho
6. Attributive constructions in the Christian dialect of Qaraqosh
7. Attributive constructions in the Jewish dialect of Urmi
8. Attributive constructions in the Jewish dialect of Sanandaj
9. Attributive constructions in Kurdish dialects
10. The development of D-markers in NENA dialects
11. Further developments in attributive constructions
12. General conclusions
