Linguistic Typology and the Demise of Morphological Case: The Development of the Genitive in the Germanic Languages. This project will investigate how changes to the case marking systems of the Germanic languages affected the expression of the relationships originally encoded by genitive case. New data will be gathered concerning changes in Dutch and English. The investigation will then be extended to the other Germanic languages. A primary aim of the project is to present a case study of how ....Linguistic Typology and the Demise of Morphological Case: The Development of the Genitive in the Germanic Languages. This project will investigate how changes to the case marking systems of the Germanic languages affected the expression of the relationships originally encoded by genitive case. New data will be gathered concerning changes in Dutch and English. The investigation will then be extended to the other Germanic languages. A primary aim of the project is to present a case study of how closely related languages can diverge significantly while undergoing a similar shift from one overall ?type? to another, adding to our understanding of what sort of changes the human language capability allows in the transmission of language across generations.Read moreRead less
Metaphor and Mind: Literary Texts, Cultural Transmission, and How We Think about the Mind. This project will make a significant contribution to national and international research on both literary language and the mind. Its wide applicability will boost Australia's international reputation in interdisciplinary research. The project is also of more general public interest in that it probes why, despite major advances in scientific understanding, we are as likely as Chaucer and Shakespeare were to ....Metaphor and Mind: Literary Texts, Cultural Transmission, and How We Think about the Mind. This project will make a significant contribution to national and international research on both literary language and the mind. Its wide applicability will boost Australia's international reputation in interdisciplinary research. The project is also of more general public interest in that it probes why, despite major advances in scientific understanding, we are as likely as Chaucer and Shakespeare were to describe the mind as 'wandering' or as a compartmentalised storehouse. In providing a new perspective to the study of the mind and metaphor, this project will reposition current debate about language use and cultural memory and contribute to knowledge of fundamental, wide-ranging relevance. Read moreRead less
Why and how do languages expand, coalesce or die? Lisu in China, Burma, Thailand and India. This project extends Australian leadership of international co-operation in language contact research. Practical outcomes include a pandialectal dictionary of Lisu and literary materials which provide in-depth background on the languages, cultures, religions and history of East, Southeast and South Asia. Like most nations, Australia has many indigenous and migrant languages which are under threat, many wi ....Why and how do languages expand, coalesce or die? Lisu in China, Burma, Thailand and India. This project extends Australian leadership of international co-operation in language contact research. Practical outcomes include a pandialectal dictionary of Lisu and literary materials which provide in-depth background on the languages, cultures, religions and history of East, Southeast and South Asia. Like most nations, Australia has many indigenous and migrant languages which are under threat, many with dialect issues that further complicate the situation. The findings of this project may be directly applied for the maintenance and revitalisation of our indigenous languages, nearly all of which are now struggling for survival, and in similar efforts for migrant languages.Read moreRead less
A Typological Study of the Sound Systems of the New Guinea-Melanesia Area. This project aims to complete the first detailed cross-linguistic study of the sound systems of the New Guinea Melanesia area. More than one quarter of the world's languages are spoken in this region which remains very little known from a linguistics perspective. Results of this study should have important ramifications for our understanding of: (1) the nature of languages in the region, and of language in general (2) ph ....A Typological Study of the Sound Systems of the New Guinea-Melanesia Area. This project aims to complete the first detailed cross-linguistic study of the sound systems of the New Guinea Melanesia area. More than one quarter of the world's languages are spoken in this region which remains very little known from a linguistics perspective. Results of this study should have important ramifications for our understanding of: (1) the nature of languages in the region, and of language in general (2) phonological description and theory (3) phonological description and theory (4) linguistic diffusion and influence in an area that extends from Eastern Timor to Vanuatu and New Caledonia.Read moreRead less
Dialect variation in Javanese: an integrated historical-linguistic and typological analysis. Australia has the highest concentration outside Indonesia of researchers engaged in the study of Java and this project will strengthen Australia's position as the premier Anglophone centre of Javanese Studies world wide. This project will also enhance Australia's position as a leader of academic research in Australasia by highlighting Australia's positive contribution to the study of Indonesia's cultural ....Dialect variation in Javanese: an integrated historical-linguistic and typological analysis. Australia has the highest concentration outside Indonesia of researchers engaged in the study of Java and this project will strengthen Australia's position as the premier Anglophone centre of Javanese Studies world wide. This project will also enhance Australia's position as a leader of academic research in Australasia by highlighting Australia's positive contribution to the study of Indonesia's cultural history. International links will be strengthened through cooperation between scholars in Australia and Indonesia. Research results will feed into the teaching programs in Indonesian Studies at the University of Melbourne and will strengthen Indonesian Studies across Australia.Read moreRead less
The Old Zhuang Script: a Vernacular Character Script from Southern China. The Zhuang are a Tai-speaking people and the most populous of China's minority peoples. Traditionally they used a modified version of the Chinese character script. The aim of this project is to provide the wherewithal for a decipherment of the old Zhuang character script, to present evidence for the age of the script, and to describe the social and political conditions that gave it birth and influenced its development.
Interpreting spoken Aboriginal English: the communicative role of intonation. This project will produce new knowledge about the ways Aboriginal English speakers use intonation (speech melody) to communicate meanings. This knowledge will improve our understanding of potential linguistic sources of miscommunication between speakers of Aboriginal English varieties and speakers of mainstream English. It will also contribute to an increased appreciation in Australia and abroad of the unique linguisti ....Interpreting spoken Aboriginal English: the communicative role of intonation. This project will produce new knowledge about the ways Aboriginal English speakers use intonation (speech melody) to communicate meanings. This knowledge will improve our understanding of potential linguistic sources of miscommunication between speakers of Aboriginal English varieties and speakers of mainstream English. It will also contribute to an increased appreciation in Australia and abroad of the unique linguistic structures of Aboriginal English, which are reflective of the continuity and maintenance of the distinct cultural perspectives of Aboriginal Australians. Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354738
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Digital Endangered Cultural Materials Network: Working group on digital research methodologies for endangered ethnographic material of the Asia-Pacific region. The initiative aims to develop new synergies and improved methods to record, archive and give access to endangered cultural material by bringing together practitioners in information technology, field research and regional stakeholders. Through e-publication of our workshop results, the compilation of an online resource guide and provisio ....Digital Endangered Cultural Materials Network: Working group on digital research methodologies for endangered ethnographic material of the Asia-Pacific region. The initiative aims to develop new synergies and improved methods to record, archive and give access to endangered cultural material by bringing together practitioners in information technology, field research and regional stakeholders. Through e-publication of our workshop results, the compilation of an online resource guide and provision of working metadata model for networked digital media archives, we will promote the best existing tools and approaches for analysis of media content and develop new tools and approaches as required for practical outcomes.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453247
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$205,800.00
Summary
Digital archiving equipment for PARADISEC research archive of Asia-Pacific region audio recordings. The project develops equipment, systems and procedures for cross-institutional digital preservation and sharing of Australian researchers' field recordings of endangered languages and musics of the Asia-Pacific area. Despite diversity of content, common needs exist for future management of our primary research data, not only in migration from analogue to digital recording formats but also in devel ....Digital archiving equipment for PARADISEC research archive of Asia-Pacific region audio recordings. The project develops equipment, systems and procedures for cross-institutional digital preservation and sharing of Australian researchers' field recordings of endangered languages and musics of the Asia-Pacific area. Despite diversity of content, common needs exist for future management of our primary research data, not only in migration from analogue to digital recording formats but also in developing research applications of emerging technologies for digital media indexing, transcription and analysis, as well as content management and remote access protocols. The results will lay the groundwork for a future national facility for regional research recordings and pioneer methodologies for non-bibliographic research information infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0346848
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$268,000.00
Summary
Quadriga system for research archive of Asia-Pacific region audio recordings. The equipment allows state-of-the-art digitisation of researchers' field recordings of endangered languages and musics of the Asia-Pacific area. Significant and endangered analogue recordings will be prioritised. As well as preserving unique and valuable cultural materials in archival-standard digital formats, the system will provide CD-audio quality access copies for transcription, analysis and community access.