Project Description
This project aims to study the relationship between body parts and classifier systems used in languages spoken in South and Central America. Classifiers are elements of language used to count or classify nouns, such as 'ten head of cattle' (in which 'head' is an example of the classifier). Often, the sources of classifiers are not obvious, but languages indigenous to Central and South America tend to have transparent linguistic forms. There is ample evidence showing that languages extend the human body to name non-bodily things as well as grammatical function, but classifiers typically aren't included in these studies because body part extensions are so prevalent in other areas of the lexicon. Here, the focus is on how languages form classifiers with body parts and how they are then used cross-linguistically. The findings will be used to better understand body part saliency. Data collection will come from published grammars and peer-reviewed journal articles. Data will be stored in a searchable database.
Tasks and Responsibilites
The student will help collect data from grammars and enter them into a database. This involves reading and understanding grammatical descriptions and learning how to codify these systems into a cross-linguistic framework. This involves entering data into a spreadsheet and sorting the information by the patterns represented in the data. The student will also help build an annotated bibliography. Tasks associated with this will include locating and downloading PDFs through the library, entering bibliographic data, and writing short summaries of the content.
Desired Qualifications
None Listed.