Пол Сидвелл об истории австроазиатских языков

Dr. Paul Sidwell (Honorary Associate, Sydney University, Australia)

Modelling the prehistory and evolution of a language family: lessons from Austroasiatic

The Austroasiatic (AA) phylum is the principal language substrate of Mainland Southeast Asia, its periphery extending to the Malay peninsula, India, and southern China. It comprises around 170 languages in some 14 branches, and its origins can be confidently located in the regional transition to rice and millet farming of the late Neolithic. In this talk I will briefly review the history of the field, drawing lessons on methodological and theoretical approaches, and how these informed my own work. I will also summarise my reconstruction of proto-AA phonology, lexicon, morpho-syntax, and culture/homeland.

Comparative-historical studies of AA began more than a century, and diverse efforts by scholars have brought us to where we can now discuss many aspects of Austroasiatic language history with confidence, including proto-Austroasiatic itself (e.g. see Sidwell & Alves 2023, Sidwell 2024 for phonological reconstruction and 500 word proto-lexicon). Progress in AA comparative-historical work has proceeded in waves, with a significant period of progress from the late 1950s to late 1970s that laid the analytical groundwork, followed by a phase of more recent progress in the 21st century as significant improvements in data availability and information technology transformed working methods and productivity.

This latter period saw qualitative changes and theoretical advancements. We became more aware and understanding of various linguistic phenomenon, such as the use of phonation types and contour tones in various languages, posing new challenges for phonological reconstruction. There also emerged a more informed typology of syllable structures, and interactions between levels of structure, that was absent in early decades. Nonetheless, our current model of proto-AA is essentially one that we could largely have arrived at half a century ago, given the data and theoretical understandings of that time, but various factors aligned to hold back progress.

The story of AA comparative-historical linguistics is largely characterized by uncoordinated and highly idiosyncratic efforts. Scholars pursued various inductive and deductive approaches with significant consequences. Bayesian reasoning, comparing the relative strength of competing claims/analyses, was largely absent from the discourse, leading to numerous irreconcilable claims, especially since the 1970s. Better research coordination, data sharing, and overall transparency are vital and made much easier in the present era of the internet and inexpensive information technology, yet the human factor remains both an asset and a limitation in comparative work.

References

Sidwell, Paul and Mark Alves. 2023. Re-Evaluating Shorto's MKCD Reconstructions. In Paul Sidwell & Mark Alves (eds.) Papers from the Ninth and Tenth International Conference on Austroasiatic Linguistics. JSEALS Special Publication No. 12. Manoa, University of Hawaii Press.

Sidwell, Paul. 2024. 500 Proto Austroasiatic Etyma: Version 1.0. Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society 17.1:i-xxxii

Доклад ориентировочно состоится в 18:30 в ИКВИА (ул. Старая Басманная 21/4, стр. 3, корпус «Л», 2-й этаж, ауд. Л-209; в случае изменения точного времени или места будет сообщено дополнительно).

Для прохода в здание ВШЭ необходимо не позднее 4 декабря зарегистрироваться по ссылке.