Work package 2

Work package 2: Spatial asymmetries in language use
Work package 2 will investigate spatial asymmetries in language use with the aim of comparing language structures and language use, and look into the factors triggering spatial asymmetries, focusing on semantic distinctions. Going beyond standard language descriptions, we will compare language structures and language use. In order to achieve this goal, we will rely on several types of data collected through distinct methods.
A large part of our data will come from fieldwork in various areas of the world.

Scientific team leaders: Benjamin Fagard & Anetta Kopecka

WP2.1: Semantic distinctions

• Le WP2.1 traitera de la question des distinctions sémantiques, en prenant en compte, par exemple, les interactions avec la deixis de personne, les démonstratifs directionnels, ainsi que les interactions avec la deixis sociale et le contexte culturel. Par exemple, nous vérifierons si certains cas d'asymétries liés a aller et venir peuvent etre expliqués par des notions telles que la subjectivité, ce qui expliquerait pourquoi certains usages spécifiques de marqueurs ventifs ne sont pas attestés pour leurs contreparties itives (par exemple, la construction japonaise dite " inverse " impliquant -kuru " venir).
  
  

Scientific team leaders: Alice Vittrant & Christine Lamarre

WP2.2: Fieldwork

• A large part of our data will come from fieldwork in various areas of the world. Besides, some contrastive studies will be produced on languages which have never or barely been compared (e.g. Sinitic-Thai-Vietnamese), with the help of parallel corpora wherever available. For languages with available written corpora, we will check whether the tendencies observed concerning language use support those obtained through investigations in WP2 with various types of stimuli. Our selection of languages comprises some classified as Satellite-type, Verbal-type, and also serializing languages which have sometimes been classified as “equipollent-framed”, languages that underwent a type shift (Sinitic, French), as well as languages whose classification along Talmy’s typology is yet unexplored.
  Representative portions of the data will be made available online to fellow researchers, within WP3.