Typology and historical linguistics: Some remarks on reflexives in ancient IE languages

PUDDU, NICOLETTA

2007-01-01

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Abstract

In this paper, I assume typological generalizations, both synchronic and diachronic, as a starting point to investigate reflexives and intensifiers (according to König’s 1998 definition) within the Indo-European family. This approach is not new at all. The first work where typology is programmatically used as a support to Indo-European reconstruction is Winfried Lehmann’s Proto-Indo-European Syntax, published in 1974. Comrie (1993) clearly states the advantages and the disadvantages of studying Indo-European data in the light of typological generalizations. Linguistic typology can tell us whether there is any limitation in combining features, whether there are hierarchies and whether some combinations are impossible or, at least, highly unlikely. In this paper I show that using a typologically valid definition of reflexivity, we receive more light on reflexives in ancient Indo-European languages. Moreover, the analysis of ancient languages in a typological perspective, gives new interesting data to the typology of intensifiers.