MrMobster t1_j3lcilx wrote on January 9, 2023 at 10:29 AM

Reply to What, if at all, is the link between linguistic morphology and the topography of where a given language originated? by Djinn_and_juice

There are some claims that sounds in languages adapt to the environmental conditions (like development of sounds that cary over long distances in rural areas or the paper on tones and humidity mentioned in another post), but I personally remain unconvinced. In my opinion, these results are obtained with too much statistical hand-waving and little actual substance. I've spent quite some time discussing this back and forth with the authors of the climate and tonal languages paper, but hey, science is all about difference of opinions :)

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MondayToFriday t1_j3l2b9v wrote on January 9, 2023 at 8:07 AM

Reply to What, if at all, is the link between linguistic morphology and the topography of where a given language originated? by Djinn_and_juice

Two tendencies come to mind:

(This is more about phonology than morphology.) Tonal languages tend to occur in humid climates, because tones are harder to produce with a dry throat.
Adult language learners often simplify complex morphology. Therefore, languages that have experienced large population influxes through conquest or migration tend to have simpler morphology. Taking a step further, you might conclude that places that are more isolated would be more likely to maintain morphological complexity.