The Iranian languages, due to their exceptional time-depth of attestation, constitute one of the very few instances where a shift from accusative alignment to split-ergativity is actually documented. Yet remarkably, within historical syntax, the Iranian case has received only very superficial coverage. This book provides the first in-depth treatment of alignment change in Iranian, from Old Persian (5 C. BC) to the present. The first part of the book examines the claim that ergativity in Middle Iranian emerged from an Old Iranian agented passive construction. This view is rejected in favour of...

Documenting endangered languages has become a major goal in the linguistic sciences. This volume showcases recent developments in methodology, technology and analysis, drawing on experience gained in a global range of documentation projects. It illustrates the significance of documentary linguistics not only as a set of documentary practices, but as a scientific discipline in its own right.