Research

Ohio State Dissertations in Linguistics (OSDL)

Kutz M. C. Arrieta (1998)

Nominalizations in Basque: A Case in Language Attrition

Advisor: Brian D. Joseph

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Abstract:

The goal of this dissertation is to explore the feasibility of using a certain linguistic structure, in this case, nominalizations in order to diagnose language attrition. Since this work has been developed in the context of a multidisciplinary program, the study is twofold. In the first part, I explore and analyze the linguistic phenomenon of nominalization from a purely linguistic point of view, excluding any reference to speakers.

In the second part of the study, I adopt an Anthropological Linguistics approach and study the phenomenon of language attrition. I also apply the knowledge acquired through the linguistic analysis of the first part to the data collected through fieldwork.

Nominalizations are an instance of categorial change. Nominalizations area common feature of natural language and they exhibit similar properties in different languages. In this study, I concentrate on nominalizations based on verbs.

I start my study by presenting the phenomenon itself. I discuss its properties and distribution. In order to illustrate the phenomenon and to discuss the accounts available in the literature, I introduce data from English, Catalan, Italian and Spanish. I then proceed to discuss the issue of its derivation, both its locus and the way this process can be analyzed and represented.

In Chapter 3, I concentrate on Basque and, more specifically, on a certain type of nominalizations. I refer to them as -te nominalizations. These are constructions that exhibit similarities both with English gerunds and with the nominalized infinitives that we find in the Romance languages. I analyze nominalizations from a syntactic point of view.

In Chapter 4, I change gears and discuss the issues involved in language attrition and language death in a language contact situation. I also discuss Anthropological Linguistics data concerning Basque.

Chapter 5 presents the results and conclusions of the fieldwork that I performed with the Basque speakers in the New York area. The study reveals a situation whereby speakers make use of all available communicative devices in order to survive in the community. Nominalizations are, thus, overgeneralized, simplified and only a few of the syntactic restrictions are respected.