Projektzusammenfassung

The aim of this linguistic project is to explore the potential of original (i.e., non-translated) texts in large scale typological studies. Original texts are a data source that is both highly reliable and available in a large number of diverse languages. To explore the potential of original-text typology, three maximally different domains are investigated: nominal number, predicative possession, and motion verbs. The project focuses on languages from two continents: Eurasia and North America. These two populations of languages have been connected diachronically across the "bottleneck" of the Bering Strait. The project will provide new sets of areal-typological data in languages of two continents that are crucial for the understanding of the global distribution of linguistic structures across the globe. The study of global clines in the distribution of linguistic structures from West (Africa and Europe) to East (the Americas), such as they can be found, e.g., in number, will contribute to explore the history of mankind in the interdisciplinary context of evolutionary anthropology.