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The Subclassification of Southern Wakashan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2016

William H. Jacobsen Jr.*
Affiliation:
University of Nevada

Abstract

The Southern Wakashan (or Nootkan) languages exhibit a sort of chain relationship, from south to north: Makah, Nitinat, and Nootka. Given the intermediate geographic position of Nitinat with respect to Makah (situated more to the south) and Nootka (situated more to the north), one can ask which of these languages is most closely related to Nitinat. At present, this question remains unresolved, as reflected by the disagreement in the literature. Relying primarily on lexical data, but also considering aspects of sound changes and grammatical criteria, it is proposed that the closer grouping of Nitinat is with Makah.

Résumé

Résumé

Les langues wakashannes (ou nootkannes) du sud entretiennent des rapports géographiques en chaîne, s’étalant du sud jusqu’au nord : le makah, le nitinat et le nootka. Étant donné la position géographiquement intermédiaire du nitinat par rapport au makah (situé plus au sud) et au nootka (situé plus au nord), on peut se demander laquelle de ces deux langues est la plus rapprochée du nitinat. À présent, cette question demeure non résolue, si on se fie au désaccord dans la littérature sur le sujet. En se basant essentiellement sur des données lexicales, et aussi sur certains aspects de changements phonologiques et de critères grammaticaux, il est ici proposé que le nitinat et le makah constituent le regroupement le plus rapproché.

Type
Part I: Historical Classification
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Linguistic Association 2007

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