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Difference between revisions of "Typological Features Template"

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The Typological Features Template (TFT) can be used as a wiki template. As such it allows you to create your own TFT using the tabular format of the TFT shown below. To work with such a templates might not only be useful for students of linguistics and fieldworkers investigating so far little explored languages,  but also for linguists in general and people interested in less-described languages. The TFT covers phonology and  morpho-syntax information. Still, the idea is not that all areas must be covered and all fields must be filled in. The templates can be used in a much more exploratory mode.
 +
 +
'''To start your own TFT create a new TypeCraft wiki page (see Help pages if you need instructions) which you call "Typological Features Template for [your language]" '''
 +
'''and insert <nowiki>{{subst:Typological Features Template}}</nowiki> into the page.'''
 +
 +
The TFT has a typological orientation, and can be used with profit by everyone who had basic linguistic training. Non-native speakers of the described language and fieldworkers may want to work with the template because it provides a first indication of the scope of the phenomena that could (and perhaps should be) studied. The templates also might be useful for native speakers of a minority or less-studied language in order to describing their native languages in linguistic terms.
 +
 +
The TFT has a tabular form, which indicates that the expected descriptions are intended to be rather short. The idea is that a filled template gives an easy-to-grasp, first overview over a language. For TFTs on this wiki, it is quite important that they contains references to ongoing work on the described language, or, if available, literature that can be useful to readers interested in a more in-depth view. 
 +
 +
Essential is that certain claims made about the described language are supported by annotated data from the TypeCraft database.
 +
 +
Finally, the format of the TFT is not written in stone. It is very much work in progress. We are thankful for suggestions. Please use the discussion page for this page to leave your comment.
 +
 +
You will find quite a few templates that have been started, but then were abandoned on TypeCraft. Feel free to adopt templates that have not been signed by other TypeCraft users. Please sign your contribution, or leave your info on the discussion pages of these templates.
 +
 +
===Typological Features Template (TFT)===
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{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
|-valign="top"
 
|-valign="top"
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|-
 
|-
 
|Tone
 
|Tone
−
|[your language] is a tone language and which tones are used; does [your language] have lexical tone?
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|'''Note''': If your language is a tone language describe which tones are used; indicate whether your language uses lexical or grammatical tone.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|Syllable Structure
 
|Syllable Structure
−
|In this field you indicate the basic syllable structures of [your language].
+
|
 
|-
 
|-
 
|'''Morpho-syntactic Features'''
 
|'''Morpho-syntactic Features'''
−
|In the following fields you describe some of the morpho-syntactic parameters of [your language]
+
|In the following fields describe morpho-syntactic parameters of [your language]
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Basic properties
+
|Basic morphological properties
−
|[Your language] could be an isolating language (not (or nearly not) making use of morphology, agglutinative, such as the Bantu languages of Africa, or synthetic, such as the Saami languages of Scandinavia, or even polysynthetic such as Greenlandic. In this field you classify [your language] according to these parameters if possible.
+
|'''Note''': Whether a language has dominantly an isolating, agglutinative, synthetic, or polysynthetic internal structure of words is often the starting point for describing basic morphological properties of a language.  
 
|-
 
|-
−
|special features
+
|Basic morpho-syntactic properties
−
|Linguists have distinguished between head- and dependent-marking languages. Semitic languages are head marking languages; it is the head of the noun phrases that needs to have a special form when followed by a dependent noun; in the Germanic languages it is the head of the verb phrase that expresses person-number features of its subject. Grammatical dependencies on the other hand are in some of the Germanic languages expressed on the dependent noun phrases in form of case. [Your language] might be both, head- and dependent-marking, depending on the category of speech and or the type of feature expressed. This is what you can describe in this field.
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|'''Note ''' Overarching morphological pattern of flagging functional dependencies, such as ''head- and dependent-marking'', terms used by linguists across frameworks, might be useful to describe morpho-synactic pattern of your language, but to use these terms here is by no means mandatory.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|'''Nominal Phrases'''
 
|'''Nominal Phrases'''
−
|In the following fields we aim for a description of some of the basic morpho-syntactic properties of nominal constituents
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|The following fields describe morpho-syntactic properties of nominal constituents
 
|-
 
|-
 
|syntactic structure
 
|syntactic structure
−
|In this field you describe the linear order of elements in the noun phrase
+
|  
 
|-
 
|-
 
|nominal modification
 
|nominal modification
−
|In this field you indicate the basic types of nominal modifiers (adjectives, relative clauses, adpositions...)
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|
 
|-
 
|-
 
|nominal specification
 
|nominal specification
−
|In this field you list the nominal specifiers. Does [your language] have determiners, demonstratives (deixis), numerals, quantifiers. Are there affixes expressing reference, deixis.
+
|'''Note''' Does your language have determiners, demonstratives (deixis), numerals, quantifiers? Are there affixes expressing reference, deixis?
 
|-
 
|-
 
|possession
 
|possession
−
|In this field you describe how possession is expressed (for example, syntactically or by use of prepositions, through juxtaposition or morphologically) Does [your language] feature possessive pronouns?
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|
 
|-
 
|-
 
|pronominal system
 
|pronominal system
−
| In this field you indicate if [your language] has free pronoun forms? Are pronouns marked for their grammatical function (object versus subject pronouns)? Does your language have bound pronouns (affixes) or pronoun doubling? Are reflexives expressed by pronouns?
+
|  
 
|-
 
|-
 
|'''Verbal Phrases'''
 
|'''Verbal Phrases'''
−
|In the following fields serve for the description of some of the basic morpho-syntactic properties of verbal constituents
+
|The following fields describe some of the basic morpho-syntactic properties of verbal constituents
 
|-
 
|-
 
|word order
 
|word order
−
|In this field you indicate the basic word order of your language (SOV, SOV ...)
+
|
 
|-
 
|-
−
|TAM
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|Tense-Aspect-Mood
−
|In this field you indicate which tense and/or aspects are morphologically or tonally marked; does [your language] make use of periphrastic tense or aspect constructions?
+
|
 
|-
 
|-
−
|infinitival forms
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|Infinitival form(s)
−
|In this field you indicate if [your language] makes use of an infinitive marker? How many infinitival forms does your language have?
+
|
 
|-
 
|-
−
|verbal constructions
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|Verbal constructions (Valency)
−
| In this field you indicate if [your language] has ditransitive constructions, serial verb constructions or complex verb forms composed of several verbs. Does your language have so called light verbs, perhaps only used to indicate a certain tense or aspect?
+
|  
 
|-
 
|-
 
|'''Adpositions'''
 
|'''Adpositions'''
−
|In this field you indicate if [your language [makes use of prepositions or postpositions. Does your language have spatial nouns? Does your language use adpositions or particles to indicate grammatical relations between the verb and a nominal argument?
+
|'''Note''' In addtion to indicating whether your languages makes use of prepositions or postpositions, you might want to indicate whether your language has spatial nouns? Does your language use adpositions or particles to indicate grammatical relations between the verb and a nominal argument?
 
|-
 
|-
 
|'''Complementation'''
 
|'''Complementation'''
−
| In this field you describe complementation strategies. Does [your language] make use of complementizers?
+
|  
 
|-
 
|-
−
|'''Special Properties of [your language]
+
|'''Special Properties  
−
| In this field you should mention properties of [your language] which do not fit into any of the other categories mentioned in this template
+
|  
 
|-
 
|-
 
|'''Short Bibliography
 
|'''Short Bibliography

Latest revision as of 21:05, 20 July 2014

The Typological Features Template (TFT) can be used as a wiki template. As such it allows you to create your own TFT using the tabular format of the TFT shown below. To work with such a templates might not only be useful for students of linguistics and fieldworkers investigating so far little explored languages, but also for linguists in general and people interested in less-described languages. The TFT covers phonology and morpho-syntax information. Still, the idea is not that all areas must be covered and all fields must be filled in. The templates can be used in a much more exploratory mode.

To start your own TFT create a new TypeCraft wiki page (see Help pages if you need instructions) which you call "Typological Features Template for [your language]" and insert {{subst:Typological Features Template}} into the page.

The TFT has a typological orientation, and can be used with profit by everyone who had basic linguistic training. Non-native speakers of the described language and fieldworkers may want to work with the template because it provides a first indication of the scope of the phenomena that could (and perhaps should be) studied. The templates also might be useful for native speakers of a minority or less-studied language in order to describing their native languages in linguistic terms.

The TFT has a tabular form, which indicates that the expected descriptions are intended to be rather short. The idea is that a filled template gives an easy-to-grasp, first overview over a language. For TFTs on this wiki, it is quite important that they contains references to ongoing work on the described language, or, if available, literature that can be useful to readers interested in a more in-depth view.

Essential is that certain claims made about the described language are supported by annotated data from the TypeCraft database.

Finally, the format of the TFT is not written in stone. It is very much work in progress. We are thankful for suggestions. Please use the discussion page for this page to leave your comment.

You will find quite a few templates that have been started, but then were abandoned on TypeCraft. Feel free to adopt templates that have not been signed by other TypeCraft users. Please sign your contribution, or leave your info on the discussion pages of these templates.

Typological Features Template (TFT)

Feature Description
Phonological Features The following fields describe the sound inventory of [your language]
Vowel inventory
Vowel harmony
Consonant inventory
Tone Note: If your language is a tone language describe which tones are used; indicate whether your language uses lexical or grammatical tone.
Syllable Structure
Morpho-syntactic Features In the following fields describe morpho-syntactic parameters of [your language]
Basic morphological properties Note: Whether a language has dominantly an isolating, agglutinative, synthetic, or polysynthetic internal structure of words is often the starting point for describing basic morphological properties of a language.
Basic morpho-syntactic properties Note Overarching morphological pattern of flagging functional dependencies, such as head- and dependent-marking, terms used by linguists across frameworks, might be useful to describe morpho-synactic pattern of your language, but to use these terms here is by no means mandatory.
Nominal Phrases The following fields describe morpho-syntactic properties of nominal constituents
syntactic structure
nominal modification
nominal specification Note Does your language have determiners, demonstratives (deixis), numerals, quantifiers? Are there affixes expressing reference, deixis?
possession
pronominal system
Verbal Phrases The following fields describe some of the basic morpho-syntactic properties of verbal constituents
word order
Tense-Aspect-Mood
Infinitival form(s)
Verbal constructions (Valency)
Adpositions Note In addtion to indicating whether your languages makes use of prepositions or postpositions, you might want to indicate whether your language has spatial nouns? Does your language use adpositions or particles to indicate grammatical relations between the verb and a nominal argument?
Complementation
Special Properties
Short Bibliography
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