The interplay of contrast markers, selectives and word order in the in the languages of the world

Professor Bernhard Wälchli presents a typological study on similarities and differences between contrast markers, selectives, and word order in the languages of the world.

The study, presented in Linguistic Typology, has investigated how different languages express oppositional relationships, that is, contrast. In English, for example, there is the words but, whose function is to express contrast: "Paul is tall, but John is short".

Figures from article skowing contrast markers in English and Swedish.
 

Compare translations of the New Testament

In the study, Bernhard Wälchli, a professor of general linguistics, used a corpus of translations of the New Testament. This is source text that is particularly suitable for large cross-linguistic comparisons, as it has been translated into so many different languages.

By analyzing how words and grammatical markers occur in these parallel texts, the study has revealed general patterns regarding how different languages express contrast. To visualize this, statistical methods and semantic maps are used. 

 

Great variation between languages

The results of the study show that many languages have specific contrast markers and that there is a continuity between contrast markers and selectives (“topic markers”). Contrast is often used rhetorically, to persuade listeners or readers, and there is great variation between languages in how contrast is expressed. The study also shows that contrast is a complex phenomenon that has great significance for how language functions and is used in communication.

The article is published in Linguistic Typology and is freely available online:

The interplay of contrast markers (‘but’), selectives (“topic markers”) and word order in the fuzzy oppositive contrast domain (degruyter.com)