Austronesian Root Theory: An Essay on the Limits of Morphology

Studies in Language Companion #19

by Robert A. Blust

Hard to Find book

202 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Robert Blust is a Professor in Historical Linguistics and Austronesian Comparative Linguistics at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.

Reviews

[Robert Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blust's theory is that Austronesian roots are actually somewhere in between morphemes and phonemes, a middle ground previously labeled as phonesthemes. He deeply criticizes Brandsletter and to a lesser extent Dempwolff. He even sneaks in some digs on Wolff's PAn phonological reconstructions. His appendices are fantastically well researched and exhaustive. However, while he does cite a few non-Indonesian/Malaysian languages in the prose, his roots generally don't mention Oceanic/Polynesian forms. All in all, a quick, interesting read.