The Indo-Aryan Languages

Front Cover
Cambridge University Press, 1991 - Language Study - 539 pages
In his ambitious survey of the Indo-Aryan languages, Colin Masica has provided a fundamental introduction which will interest not only general and theoretical linguists but also students of one or more of these languages who want to acquaint themselves with the broader linguistic context. Generally synchronic in approach, concentrating on the phonology, morphology and syntax of the modern representatives of the group, the volume also covers their historical development, areal context, writing systems and aspects of sociolinguistics. The survey is organised not on a language-by-language basis but by topic, so that salient theoretical issues may be discussed in a comparative context.
 

Contents

The modern IndoAryan languages and dialects
8
The historical context and development of IndoAryan
32
The nature of the New IndoAryan lexicon
61
TABLES
85
NIA descriptive phonology
86
Writing systems
133
daughter NIA scripts
138
Historical phonology
154
Verbal forms and categories
257
Syntax
331
Inventory of NIA languages and dialects
420
Schemes of NIA subclassification
446
Notes
464
Bibliography
480
Index of languages
511
Copyright

Nominal forms and categories
212

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

Bibliographic information