Objective
This project proposes to carry out the first large scale investigation into the typology of Sinitic or Chinese languages, broadening its horizons beyond Standard Mandarin to consider the major parameters in the grammatical makeup of this language taxon with respect to the neighbouring language families of East and Southeast Asia. The principal objective is to examine and seek explanations for the apparent hybrid typology of Sinitic languages which reveal a perplexing mixture of head-final and head-initial features and consequently pose several striking counterexamples to classic Greenbergian word order correlations. The theoretical issue involved is to question accounts which purely rely upon areal diffusion to explain this, without considering language-internal development, in particular syntactic change, as an interacting component. Complicating research in this field is the fact that Standard Mandarin is generally the main, if not, only point of reference for Sinitic languages in typological studies in the West, while until recently it persisted as the primary object of analysis in Chinese linguistics in general. Thus, a macroscopic survey of the ten branches of Sinitic is first proposed to describe their fundamental syntactic properties and word order correlations in detail. Second, the project sets out to challenge and refine the hypothesis of a North-South typological dichotomy for Sinitic languages based on areal principles and advocated by Hashimoto and Norman. To this purpose, the research plan also includes a comprehensive analysis of the grammar of Waxiang, a language spoken in remote northwest Hunan province and chosen to represent the transitional zone of Chinese languages in central China . Significantly, this language shows characteristics of an intermediate nature between northern and southern Sinitic , expected to assist in elucidating the issue of hybrid typological features.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2008-AdG
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Host institution
75270 Paris
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.