Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis aims to describe topics in the grammar Binumarien, a Papuan language (Kainantu) spoken in Papua New Guinea. The study provides a basic analysis of Binumarien phonology and nominal...Show moreThis thesis aims to describe topics in the grammar Binumarien, a Papuan language (Kainantu) spoken in Papua New Guinea. The study provides a basic analysis of Binumarien phonology and nominal morphology. Moreover, it contributes to the understudied topic of tone in Papuan languages with a description of tone in the Binumarien NP according to the latest developments in tonal typology. In addition, the switch reference marking system of Binumarien is described and placed in typology. The data for this thesis were collected during fieldwork, which took place from September 2018 to January 2019.Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis consists of two interconnected parts: a synchronic section dealing with Lio phonology, and a diachronic section dealing with the internal relations of the Central Flores language group,...Show moreThis thesis consists of two interconnected parts: a synchronic section dealing with Lio phonology, and a diachronic section dealing with the internal relations of the Central Flores language group, of which Lio is a member. The first section is a description of the phonetics and phonology of Lio (Austronesian), a language spoken in Flores, an island in the Lesser Sunda island chain of eastern Indonesia. I describe the phonemic inventory, phonotactics, stress system and adaptation of loanwords into Lio. This is based on fieldwork carried out in Central Flores in July-August 2017 which focused mainly on Lio. This is a contribution to the state of linguistic documentation in Central Flores, which remains relatively poorly documented. This will also set the stage for the second part of the thesis, because Lio is an important language for reconstructing aspects of Proto-Central Flores. The second section is a historical analysis of the relations of the Central Flores languages, and a reconstruction of Proto-Central Flores. I present evidence that the Central Flores languages form a valid innovation-defined subgroup, which underwent a period of splitting and isolation at the level of Proto-Central Flores. Then I address the internal relations of the Central Flores group and the process of differentiation from Proto-Central Flores to the modern Central Flores languages. Lio is one of the more conservative members of the Central Flores group, and is crucial for distinguishing the reflexes of certain Proto-Central Flores phonemes. The Central Flores group forms a linkage, with patterns of intersecting isoglosses which are not easily captured in a tree diagram. Therefore, the findings of this section will be cast in the framework of Historical Glottometry, a wave model-based methodology which is better equipped to represent and model the relations holding between linkages.Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis presents a systematic study on plural words, a particular type of nominal plurality marking, in Austronesian languages. Building on previous studies, I explore how plural words in...Show moreThis thesis presents a systematic study on plural words, a particular type of nominal plurality marking, in Austronesian languages. Building on previous studies, I explore how plural words in Austronesian languages are distributed, and discuss the diachronic developments of these plural words.Show less
