A Grammar of JahaiThis book is a linguistic study of Jahai, a language belonging to the Northern Aslian subgroup of the Aslian branch of the Mon-Khmer language family. The language is spoken by groups of foragers in the mountain rainforests of northern Peninsular Malaysia and southernmost Thailand, its total number of speakers estimated at around 1,000. This study describes the grammar of Jahai, including its phonology, processes of word formation, word classes, and syntax. It also includes a word-list. While primarily aimed at linguistic description, the study makes use of suitable theoretical models for the analysis of linguistic features. In particular, models of Prosodic and Template Morphology are employed to describe the language's intricate processes of affixation. Typological comparisons are made at times, especially with other Aslian languages. The study is intended to expand our knowledge of the understudied Aslian languages. It is also intended to contribute to Mon-Khmer and Southeast Asian language studies in general, and, hopefully, also to a wider linguistic context. Furthermore, it may serve as a practical source of linguistic information for researchers and others working among the Northern Aslian speech communities. |
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Common terms and phrases
according Add affix allomorphs appears Apply rules arguments Aslian languages associated attached base borrowed causative characteristics classifiers clause clitics coda copy collective consist consonant constructions contrastive correct surface form derivation described determined direct object display distinction distributive disyllabic bases domain elements epenthetic vowels exemplified express final CVC string following examples frequently function given head host illustrated inner affixation involves irrealis Jahai Kruspe languages left edge Malay marker material means modifiers monosyllabic bases morpheme morphological nasal nominalisations noted nouns nucleus numeral occur onset order to produce origin outer affixes pattern penultimate syllable person phonemic phonologically phrase plural position preceding prepositional present prespecified proclitic produce the correct progressive pronouns realised reduplication referred relation relative represented restricted resulting rules of syllabification segments semantic Semelai sesquisyllabic signalling similar sound stop structure syntactic template tree trisyllabic typically underspecified unit unitised usually vowel