31 research outputs found
Computational phylogenetics and the classification of South American languages
In recent years, South Americanist linguists have embraced computational phylogenetic methods to resolve the numerous outstanding questions about the genealogi- cal relationships among the languages of the continent. We provide a critical review of the methods and language classification results that have accumulated thus far, emphasizing the superiority of character-based methods over distance-based ones and the importance of develop- ing adequate comparative datasets for producing well- resolved classifications
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Subgrouping in the TupĂ-GuaranĂ Family: A Phylogenetic Approach
Phylogenetic classification supports a Northeastern Amazonian Proto-TupĂ-GuaranĂ Homeland
A questĂŁo de onde se falou o Proto-Tupi-Guarani (PTG) tem sido um ponto de debate considerĂĄvel. Foram propostos pontos de origem no nordeste e sudoeste da AmazĂŽnia, apoiados principalmente por evidĂȘncias arqueolĂłgicas e classificaçÔes linguĂsticas. Neste artigo, mostramos que a aplicação da teoria da migração linguĂstica a uma classificação filogenĂ©tica recente da famĂlia Tupi-Guarani favorece a hipĂłtese de um ponto de origem nordestina na AmazĂŽnia
Multi-variate coding for possession: methodology and preliminary results
In this work we are presenting a database structure to encode the phenomenon of differential possession across languages, considering noun possession classes and possessive constructions as independent but linked. We show how this structure can be used to study different dimensions of possession: semantics, noun valence, and possessive constructions. We present preliminary survey results from a global sample of 120 languages and show that there is a universal semantic core in both inalienable and non-possessible noun classes. Inalienables are centered on body parts and kinship. Non-possessibles are centered on animals, humans, and natural elements
Phylogenetic classification supports a Northeastern Amazonian Proto-TupĂ-GuaranĂ Homeland
The question of where Proto-TupĂ-GuaranĂ (PTG) was spoken has been a point of considerable debate. Both northeastern and southwestern Amazonian homelands having been proposed, with evidence from both archaeology and linguistic classification playing key roles in this debate. In this paper we demonstrate that the application of linguistic migration theory to a recent phylogenetic classification of the TupĂ-GuaranĂ family lends strong support to a northeastern Amazonian homeland
A test of coding procedures for lexical data with Tup i-Guaran i and Chapacuran languages
Recent phylogenetic studies in historical linguistics have focused on lexical data. However, the way that such data are coded into characters for phylogenetic analysis has been approached in different ways, without investigating how coding methods may affect the results. In this paper, we compare three different coding methods for lexical data (multistate meaning-based characters, binary root-meaning characters, and binary cognate characters) in a Bayesian framework, using data from the Tup 퀱-Guaran 퀱 and Chapacuran language families as case studies. We show that, contrary to prior expectations, different coding methods can have a significant impact on the topology of the resulting trees
A Bayesian Phylogenetic Classification of TupĂ-GuaranĂ
This paper presents an internal classification of TupĂ-GuaranĂ based on lexical data from 30 TupĂ-GuaranĂ languages and 2 non-TupĂ-GuaranĂ Tupian languages, AwetĂ and MawĂ©. A Bayesian phylogenetic analysis using a generalized binary cognate gain and loss model was carried out on a character table based on the binary coding of cognate sets, which were formed with attention to semantic shift. The classification shows greater internal structure than previous ones, but is congruent with them in several ways
Genetic-substructure and complex demographic history of South African Bantu speakers
South Eastern Bantu-speaking (SEB) groups constitute more than 80% of the population in South Africa. Despite clear linguistic and geographic diversity, the genetic differences between these groups have not been systematically investigated. Based on genome-wide data of over 5000 individuals, representing eight major SEB groups, we provide strong evidence for fine-scale population structure that broadly aligns with geographic distribution and is also congruent with linguistic phylogeny (separation of Nguni, Sotho-Tswana and Tsonga speakers). Although differential Khoe-San admixture plays a key role, the structure persists after Khoe-San ancestry-masking. The timing of admixture, levels of sex-biased gene flow and population size dynamics also highlight differences in the demographic histories of individual groups. The comparisons with five Iron Age farmer genomes further support genetic continuity over âŒ400 years in certain regions of the country. Simulated trait genome-wide association studies further show that the observed population structure could have major implications for biomedical genomics research in South Africa
Computational phylogenetics and the classification of South American languages
In recent years, South Americanist linguists have embraced computational phylogenetic methods to resolve the numerous outstanding questions about the genealogical relationships among the languages of the continent. We provide a critical review of the methods and language classification results that have accumulated thus far, emphasizing the superiority of characterâbased methods over distanceâbased ones and the importance of developing adequate comparative datasets for producing wellâresolved classifications