Free Download Defen Yu, "Aspects of Lisu Phonology and Grammar, a Language of Southeast Asia"
English | 2007 | pages: 273 | ISBN: 0858835797 | PDF | 4,6 mb
This book presents a comparative analysis of aspects of the phonology and grammar of Lisu, a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in the border areas of China , Myanmar , Thailand and India . The analysis is mainly based on data from five Lisu dialects of southwest China , accumulated from fieldwork and from the author's native-speaker knowledge. The study describes the phonological systems of five Lisu dialects: Shibacha, Nujiang, Ninglang, Dechang and Lipo. An unusual alignment pattern of core grammatical marking is also identified. Typologically important grammatical features are discussed in detail, including the human classifier system and the nominal and pronominal system and its interaction with kinship terms and kinship classifiers. Verbal categories such as adjectives, serial verb constructions, copula verbs are described in depth, some posing interesting questions for linguistic theory. This work makes available for the first time materials from a lesser-known dialect group and is enriched by descriptions of the cultural practices of Lisu communities. It is hoped that the book will provide a new source for both diachronic and synchronic comparison by Sino-Tibetan scholars, while its anthropological and ethnographic approach may serve as a model for future researchers intending to work in this area. hopefully the comparative description of the features of Lisu phonology and grammar will benefit comprehensive studies of the Lisu language and dialects across international boundaries in mainland Southeast Asia.