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1500 questions
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Why proto-languages?
Nowadays all the leading works on historical linguistics consider Proto-Slavic (you can put here anything you wish but I will talk about Slavonic studies) language as a fact (yes, there can be said something like, 'It is a hypothetical language,'…
Aer
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What is the hierarchy for studies inside linguistics, or: How many different kinds of error can one make in language?
At least in my mind, language can be generally considered as a sequence of paragraphs, each being a sequence of sentences, each being a sequence of words, each being a sequence of letters. I understand that there is a science for each level of this…
badp
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9
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Why are French, Italian, Spanish etc. listed as SVO languages?
In this Wikipedia article, French, Italian and Spanish are listed as SVO languages, along with English and Chinese. (However, Latin is listed as SOV.)
I am highly confused about such statement. In those languages, we say
Je te connais
(Yo) te…
iBug
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How do I gloss a Semitic verb?
"Standard" glossing (following the Leipzig rules) uses a linear model of breaking down words into morphemes. In other words, it assumes you can draw lines between all the morphemes to separate them.
But what do I do when these assumptions break…
Draconis
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9
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Do dead languages borrow words?
So, presumably, at some point during of after the fall of the Roman Empire, Latin became a dead language. Or, at least no longer used outside of the Church or science. When that happens to a language, does that stop the process of borrowing words?
DBWeinstein
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9
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Etymology of Latin infinitive verb endings
I was wondering, what the etymology of Latin infinitive verb endings -are, -ere and -ire was. I assume they are Indo-European, but I haven't found any information about it.
X30Marco
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9
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Why do we call some countries a different name than the people of that country?
For example, in English we say Germany, Japan, and China but they say Deutschland, Nihon, and Zhongguo respectively.
If we change the names because they are difficult to say or spell outside of their native language, how is the English name created?
Aaron
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9
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3 answers
Can anyone point me toward articles/theory that syntax and morphology operate on the same principles?
Looking for articles and or theories that explore the idea that morphology and syntax are not separate but operate on the same principles; for example, that the sentence is just an extended morphological word (using those terms generally, external…
JGgray
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Why are there words meaning both "breath" and "life/spirit" in so many languages?
In Ancient Greek, πνεῦμα (pneuma) can mean "breath" as in "a breath of air" (literal) or "divine breath of inspiration" (figurative); it can also mean "life", "spirit", and "vitality" as demonstrated in ancient medicine as well as philosophical…
mooncatcher
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9
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How did Latin get its stress pattern?
As far as I know, Latin had a word-initial accent for some time of its history after losing the Indo-European accent. I am wondering why Latin then switched to an ante-/pen-ultima stress pattern.
unknown_person_1000
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Why are only yes/no questions asked with a rising tone?
There is a rule used almost subconsciously by almost all English speakers (and I'm sure it applies to many other languages too) which is that yes/no questions are asked ending with a rising tone, and others are ended with a falling tone. Why is…
Jez
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9
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5 answers
Why are "two instances of /r/ in one word" awkward?
Why Do Languages Change? (2010) by R. L. Trask. pp. 5-6
Our story moves now to Scotland, where the word grammar underwent a
small change of pronunciation to glamour, reflecting the awkwardness of
having two instances of /r/ in one word.…
user5306
9
votes
1 answer
What is the Relationship Between Document Length and Unique Words
Sorry if my question is a little more mathematical in nature, but my question is:
Suppose I took a document of some length whether it be news article, book, or something of that sort. What sort of relationship would I expect between the document's…
demongolem
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9
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What linguistic impact, if any, has the the Roman three name naming system left on modern Romance and European languages?
The ancient Romans had a three name system (tria nomina): praenomen, the birth/given name; the nomen, like a family name but marking the person as belonging to a specific gens; and the cognomen, of which there could be several, and which described…
ubadub
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Does (or should) the terms "spoken language" and "speech" include signed language?
And if not, is there a term, accepted by both the Deaf and linguistic communities, that includes both spoken and signed language, in contrast to written language?
Reputable linguistic sources, including common introductory textbooks (Language Files,…
obstruction
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