The Languages and Linguistics of Western Asia: An Areal Perspective

Description

The languages of Western Asia belong to a variety of language families, including Indo-European, Kartvelian, Semitic, and Turkic, but share numerous features on account of being in areal contact over many centuries. This volume presents descriptions of the modern languages, contributed by leading specialists, and evaluates similarities across the languages that may have arisen by areal contact. It begins with an introductory chapter presenting an overview of the various genetic groupings in the region and summarizing some of the significant features and issues relating to language contact. In the core of the volume the presentation of the languages is divided into five contact areas, which include (i) eastern Anatolia and northwestern Iran, (ii) northern Iraq, (iii) western Iran, (iv) the Caspian region and south Azerbaijan, and (v) the Caucasian rim and southern Black Sea coast. Each section contains chapters devoted to the languages of the area preceded by an introductory section that highlights significant contact phenomena. The volume is rounded off by an appendix with basic lexical items across a selection of the languages. The handbook features contributions by Erik Anonby, Denise Bailey, Christiane Bulut, David Erschler, Geoffrey Haig, Geoffrey Khan, Rene Lacroix, Parvin Mahmoudveysi, Hrach Martirosyan, Ludwig Paul, Stephan Procházka, Laurentia Schreiber, Don Stilo, Mortaza Taheri-Ardali, Christina van der Wal Anonby. Acknowledgements......Page 5 Table of contents......Page 7 1. Introduction......Page 9 2.1. Eastern Anatolia and northwestern Iran: overview......Page 39 2.2. The Armenian dialects......Page 54 2.3. Northern Kurdish (Kurmanjî)......Page 114 2.4. The Arabic dialects of eastern Anatolia......Page 167 2.5. The Neo-Aramaic dialects of eastern Anatolia and northwestern Iran......Page 198 3. Northern Iraq......Page 245 3.2. The Arabic dialects of northern Iraq......Page 251 3.3. The Iranian languages of northern Iraq......Page 275 3.4. The Neo-Aramaic dialects of northern Iraq......Page 313 3.5. Iraq-Turkic......Page 362 4.1. Western Iran: overview......Page 393 4.2. The Turkic varieties of Iran......Page 406 4.3. Bakhtiari......Page 453 4.4. The Neo-Aramaic dialects of western Iran......Page 489 4.5. Hawrāmī of western Iran......Page 541 4.6. Persian......Page 577 4.7. Kumzari......Page 633 5. The Caspian region and south Azerbaijan: Caspian and Tatic......Page 667 6.1. Caucasian rim and southern Black Sea coast: overview......Page 833 6.2. Laz......Page 838 6.3. Ossetic......Page 869 6.4. Romeyka......Page 900 7. Appendix: Basic lexical items in selected languages of Western Asia......Page 943 Index of language names......Page 961 Index of place names......Page 969 Index of subjects......Page 977