Maximal syllable structure as a time-stable feature in contact: Evidence from four linguistic areas

This project is an investigation of syllabic patterns in four previously established language areas (the Caucasus, Pacific Northwest, European and Pueblo Sprachbünden). It uses maximal syllable shape as a variable to test whether syllable patterns more closely reflect genetic affiliation or whether they show similarities to the other languages in a linguistic area.

Using data from 229 languages obtained from databases, grammars and articles, it examines the long-held postulate that phonological patterns are among the linguistic properties most amenable to change through contact.