Analyzing interspeaker variation in Maay

Mary Paster

doi:10.3989/loquens.2019.063

Authors

Mary Paster Pomona College https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9947-4948

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/loquens.2019.063

Keywords:

Cushitic, E-language, I-language, interspeaker variation, phonological variation

Abstract

This paper advocates an approach to interspeaker linguistic variation that aligns with the ‘I-language’ view (Chomsky, 1986). On this view, the object of study in linguistics is mental grammar; language is understood as being internal to the individual, in contrast to the ‘E-language’ approach, where language is external to individual speakers. This paper considers a case study from Maay (a Cushitic language spoken in southern Somalia) in which interspeaker variation in a refugee community defies analysis in E-language terms. An I-language approach allows for a straightforward analysis of the observed variation, specifically in the domains of plural noun formation and vowel length alternations.

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References

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