Negation in the languages of the Andes from an areal-typological perspective

Abstract

This work aims to describe and compare negation in the languages of the Andes from an areal-typological perspective. The main objective is to identify the features shared in the domain of negation between the languages of the Andes, to provide evidence for the characterization of negation as an areal feature of the Andean languages. The features considered in this study are type of negative markers, order of negative markers and verb, structure of negative constructions, and types of prohibitives. The sample includes 18 Andean languages. From the consulted sources for each language, the values from each feature considered were identified, put into a database, and compared. Besides that, the sample was compared to a sample of South American languages from Chaco, Patagonia, and Amazonia and a global sample from the World Atlas of Language Structures. The data shows that most Andean languages have clear similarities but there are also clear differences that could be explained by sub-areal divergence, individual diachronic developments and inter-areal contact. Beyond that, the data does not show a strong differentiation between Andes and adjacent linguistic areas. Furthermore, the computational analysis shows that Andean languages are grouped in different clusters in which they are close to other non-Andean languages. This study concludes that negation cannot be considered as an areal feature in the Andean languages in the terms originally proposed since clear differences between these languages and insufficient differentiation from adjacent areas are found. However, a new proposal in which negation could be considered an areal feature in central Andean languages and possibly southern Andean languages separately has more support from the analysis of the data from this study.