The Eskimo-Uralic hypothesis of a genetic link between Eskimo-Aleut and the Uralic languages is now reaching its second centenary. Two major problems with its advancement since Bergsland’s (1959) summary of its status are addressed in this article. The first of these is the lack of an obvious… read more
This paper presents a diagnostic for distinguishing older from newer forms of polysynthesis. Explanations for the global “cline” of polysynthesis from northern Asia into northwestern America are examined in this light. This leads to addressing the questions as to the “robustness” of polysynthesis… read more
The issue of compositionality is applied to the modelling of the mental lexicon in terms of neural networks as described in Fortescue (2009). The approach is illustrated by applying it to the analysis of a semantically complex verb, conquer, illustrating the need to draw upon top-down (social,… read more
In both Chukchi and West Greenlandic, there are certain circumstances where a choice exists between an analytic and a corresponding synthetic construction. These cases are more widespread and systematic in Chukchi, where it is a matter of the presence or absence of an auxiliary verb, although the… read more
The traditional linear conception of speech production shared by the majority of formalists and functionalists alike envisages a step-by-step succession of stages on the way from conceptual intention to speech chain product. However, the alternative conception of parallel distributed processing has… read more
Various proposals have been put forward to explain the typological skewing produced by the universal preference for suffixing as opposed to prefixing. These proposals have focused either on processing or on diachronic explanations (or a combination of both). In the present paper it is argued that a… read more
It has generally been assumed in the literature on ergativity that the phenomenon of ergative clause structure in Chukotkan languages represents a family-internal development reflecting the common source of such constructions in earlier passives. On closer inspection it appears that Chukotkan… read more