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I have a PhD in Linguistics and specialize in the historical linguistics of the Numic group of Uto-Aztecan languages in the Great Basin of the United States. I also do work on comparative linguistic theory, especially the role of chance as it relates to mass comparison. I'm a moderate on the issue of deep reconstruction. That means that I don't necessarily think that there are few, if any, deep-level groups (a la Dixon, Campbell, and Foley), but I certainly do not think that comparative methodology can proceed into continent-wide groupings by just using mass comparison (a la Greenberg and Ruhlen). I don't think that Australian, Amerind, Austro-Tai, or Altaic have been demonstrated, the jury's still out on Pama-Nyungan, Trans-New Guinea, and Austroasiatic, while Indo-European, Uto-Aztecan, and Afro-Asiatic are pretty firm.
[edit] Current Project
I'm going through ISO 639-3 over the next few years to create common stubs for every language. OK, so that's quite a bit to chew. I'll keep plowing through and see how far I get. If a language already has a stub, I'm bringing it up to current language template standards if it needs it. My format (template, Ethnologue reference, Notes section, References section, stub note and categories) isn't perfect, but it's something to work with (especially since 90% of all the language articles will probably have not much more ever done with them. How many of you are interested in going to New Guinea and studying Beami? I didn't think so). Over time, I'll also incorporate my linguistic bibliography and add new references when they crop up. I'm not going to add every reference for every language--just a grammar or grammatical reference and sometimes a dictionary.
[edit] ISO 639-3
As an outgrowth of this work, I am starting to discover holes in ISO 639-3. I have submitted to the appropriate authorities the following requests for revision of the standard.
- Separate Mohegan-Montauk-Narragansett into Mohegan-Montauk and Narragansett
- Create Boro (Ghana)
- Create Tambora
- Create Koyopo
- Create Siculo Arabic
- Delete Chumash
- Create Quiripi
As time goes on and I work my way further through ISO 639-3 I'm sure that I will discover more holes and misalignments. The end result will be a stronger and more accurate ISO 639-3.
[edit] My Real Name
John E. McLaughlin, Associate Professor, English, Utah State University
2007-2008, Fulbright Scholar, Romance and Germanic Languages Department, Rivne State Humanities University, Rivne, Ukraine
Just in case you're wondering, Taivo is the common Central Numic (Comanche, Shoshoni, Timbisha) word for "white man". My Timbisha name is Nuwitaivottsi "Travelling White Man".
[edit] Barnstars
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The Barnstar of Diligence |
| For your extraordinary scrutiny, precision, and community service. Cheers! Eustress (talk) 15:15, 5 April 2008 (UTC) |
[edit] Language Quilt
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