LINGUIST List 25.2284
Fri
May 23 2014
Diss: Historical
Linguistics, Semantics, Typology: Pattillo:
'Cross-linguistic Metonymies in Human Limb
Nomenclature.'
Editor for this issue:
Danuta Allen <danutalinguistlist.org>
Date: 22-May-2014
From: Kelsie Pattillo
<kelsie
uwm.edu>
Subject: Cross-linguistic
Metonymies in Human Limb Nomenclature.
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Institution: University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Program: Department of Linguistics
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2014
Author: Kelsie E. Pattillo
Dissertation Title: Cross-linguistic Metonymies
in Human Limb Nomenclature.
Linguistic Field(s): Historical Linguistics
Semantics
Typology
Dissertation Director:
Garry W. Davis
Edith A. Moravcsik
Fred R. Eckman
Sandra Pucci
Nicholas Fleisher
Dissertation Abstract:
This dissertation is a cross-linguistic lexical
study of metonymic change in human limb
nomenclature. The data analyzed for this study
make up both synchronic and diachronic
databases. The synchronic data come from a
sample of 153 non-Indo-European
languages from 66 language families and are
balanced for genetic and areal influence.
The diachronic data are made up of a large
collection of Indo-European etymologies. By
comparing the metonymic patterns found in the
Indo-European historical data with the
synchronic cross-linguistic data, this
dissertation explores to what extent the
patterns of
change found in Indo-European are
cross-linguistic tendencies. In addition to
showing
how etymological data from one language family
can help identify cross-linguistic
tendencies, this dissertation also supports the
claim that semantic change is regular,
predictable and unidirectional. This serves as
a framework for identifying
cross-linguistic
lexical tendencies. Along with its
contributions to the theoretical discussion of
regularity
in lexical change, this dissertation proposes
three universal tendencies and a
substantial
amount of lexical data that is useful for
future cross-linguistic studies.
Page Updated: 23-May-2014