Sprachbund as Metric Space: Quantifying Linguistic Traces of Convergences and Diffusions in Synchrony

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Proceedings of 27th International Symposium on Frontiers of Research in Speech and Music (FRSM 2011)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 1455))

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Abstract

This paper attempts to conceptualize the sprachbund “linguistic area” as a metric space corresponding to the Federation of Indian languages belonging to the new Indo-Aryan language family. Synchronically, a linguistic area embodies the traces of ongoing convergences and diffusions which are quantifiable. Organizing those quantifiable convergences and diffusions, as attested in linguistic items, is central to our conceptualization of the metric space. Linguistic items for one such universally shared concept are compared to measure their relative distances and differences while interpreting the concept of sprachbund anew.

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Acknowledgement

SK acknowledges Cognitive Science Research Initiative (DST/CSRI/2018/78), Departmentment of Science and Technology, Government of India for providing the funds for this research work.

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Correspondence to Samir Karmakar .

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Chattopadhyay, A., Ghosh, S.S., Karmakar, S. (2024). Sprachbund as Metric Space: Quantifying Linguistic Traces of Convergences and Diffusions in Synchrony. In: Hirose, K., Joshi, D., Sanyal, S. (eds) Proceedings of 27th International Symposium on Frontiers of Research in Speech and Music. FRSM 2011. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 1455. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1549-7_22

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