The Papuan Languages of New Guinea

An introduction to the descriptive and historical linguistics of the Papuan languages of New Guinea.

William A. Foley (Author)

9780521286213, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 20 November 1986

320 pages
22.9 x 15.3 x 2.1 cm, 0.53 kg

This introduction to the descriptive and historical linguistics of the Papuan languages of New Guinea provide an accessible account of one of the richest and most diverse linguistic situations in the world. The Papuan languages number over 700 (or 20 per cent of the world's total) in more than sixty language families. Less than a quarter of the individual languages have yet been adequately documented, and in this sense William Foley's book might be considered premature. However, in the search for language universals and generalisations in linguistic typology, it would be foolhardy to neglect the information that is available. In this respect alone, the present volume, systematically organised on mainly typology principles, is particularly timely and useful. In addition, the processes of linguistic diffusion are present in New Guinea to an extent probably paralleled elsewhere on the globe. The Papuan Languages of New Guinea will be of interest not only to general and comparative linguists and to typologists, but also to sociolinguists and anthropologists for the information it provides on the social dynamics of language content.

List of maps
Preface
Abbreviations used in glosses
1. Introduction
2. Language and its social content
3. Phonology
4. Nominals
5. Verbs
6. Syntax
7. Problems of comparative linguistics in Papuan languages
8. Papuan languages and New Guinea prehistory
References
Language index
Subject index.

Subject Areas: Historical & comparative linguistics [CFF]