Project description
The denial of a proposition in South America
In nearly all human languages, negation (the denial of a proposition) is a free-standing element that is found before the verbal predicate. This is not the case for South America’s indigenous languages. In this case, the negative marker occurs after the verbal predicate. Oftentimes, it’s a suffix. The EU-funded LACONN project will study South America’s unique post-verbal pattern. It will describe how a functionally dispreferred pattern has been maintained in a language, providing new insight into our understanding of language evolution. The findings will also shed light on the role of language contact behind this continent-wide post-verbal pattern.
Objective
Negation is a universal feature of a human language. Each language has the linguistic means to express the denial (negation) of a proposition. While specific realizations differ to a certain extent, languages show a very clear cross-linguistic tendency in the position (and nature) of a negative marker: it tends to be a free-standing element and occur before the verbal predicate. Different from most languages, indigenous languages of the South American continent show a typologically unusual – as yet unexplained – behaviour, in that a negative marker tends to occur after the verbal predicate and often as a suffixal element. The scientific aim of this project is to provide an informed answer on the role of language contact behind the continent-wide presence of the postverbal pattern, which distinguishes South American (SA) languages from most others. With reaching this aim, the action will make an impact in two ways: (i) it will bring in a piece of linguistic evidence contributing to a better understanding of SA prehistory, which still has many open questions, and (ii) it will enrich theoretical models of language evolution by providing an account as to how a functionally dispreferred pattern gets maintained in a language. I plan to carry out this project under supervision and in collaboration with Rik van Gijn, whose ERC Consolidator project on ‘South American Population History Revisited: Multidisciplinary perspectives on the Upper Amazon’ (SAPHIRE), hosted at the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics (LUCL), is of key relevance to the proposed action. Thus, I will enrich my research profile, which combines typology and diachrony of morpho-syntax with a solid expertise in contact linguistics and experience in interdisciplinary approach to linguistic data. From the professional career perspective, the Fellowship will help me gain academic independence and will ultimately serve as a springboard for a tenured research position.
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: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- humanities languages and literature general language studies
- humanities languages and literature linguistics
- humanities history and archaeology history prehistory
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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.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
2311 EZ Leiden
Netherlands
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.